Red Kimono
by SmexxiAnime115
Summary: On her way to commence a forced arranged marriage alone, Hinata's carriage is attacked, sending it and her off a mountain. Injured from the fall, a man from her childhood patches her up and promises to reunite her with her betrothed. As simple as returning her to her fiancé may seem, their journey takes them off course as dark truths unfold about who Hinata is truly engaged to.
1. Chapter 1

Getting dressed up isn't easy. A lot of steps, effort, patience, and time are put into looking nice for someone, and all the work that a girl throws in to look nice is doubled when going to meet up with the person that girl likes. The urge to impress him is channeled into how she makes herself up along with nervousness and fear. The desire to have him fixate on her during a date is like an itch – she will not feel satisfied until it is scratched, and if he can keep his eyes off that girl, then that girl will feel as though all her efforts to look good for him was a waste – all her confidence goes straight down the drain.

The reason why I am mentioning this is because it has happened to me not too long ago. The man that I adored – the man that I loved – went on a date with me after I finally worked up the courage to ask him and not once did he look at me on said date. Not only was I disappointed, but my heart was crushed, my confidence was shot. It took a while to get back on my feet after that and when I did, my father set me up on a date that he and another family had arranged. As much as I wanted to, I could not get out of this one.

You see, as the heir to the Hyuga throne, I was obligated to produce another heir worthy enough to succeed me. Seeming as I was soon to be nineteen, and getting older by the second, my father jumped at the opportunity to do just that. Marriage is not a requirement in the Hyuga clan to produce an heir worthy of our clansmen's loyalty and respect, however, marriage was the condition of the other family's to make this happen. By no means was I thrilled to hear this, but I accepted the conditions for the sake of the clan. Also, it wasn't like the man I loved would suddenly love me back anyway. Instead of being selfish by trying to pursue the man that I loved, I thought it would be best to finally become the leader that my clan deserved.

On the day that I was to meet the man my father had selected, my younger sister, Hanabi, along with other female clansmen, helped me get ready for the date. This date was not going to be anything fancy. Instead, we were going to have lunch at one of the Leaf Village's most popular cafés. The idea of a simple lunch to get to know each other quelled the nausea I was feeling slightly since that alone told me something about his personality. I am not one for expensive dining myself so we probably had that in common.

To match the simple theme of our date, my sister and my clansmen picked out clothing and a make-up palette that they hoped would be enough to impress my future husband such as a yellow blouse and a knee-high light blue floral skirt with a white sweater to wear in case it becomes too cold.

As a couple of my clansmen were creating soft curls in my hair and another applying a nude make-up palette to my face, Hanabi asked me "So, do you know his name?"

I replied shortly and reluctantly "No."

"Does he know your name?"

"I do not know."

She huffed, placing her hands on her hips as she did so. "Well, how are you supposed to get married if you don't even know each other's names?"

"It is pretty common in arranged marriages, Hanabi."

"That's just dumb. How could Father let you do this?"

Hanabi was angry; I understand that, however, being angry would not change anything. Anger would not stop this marriage. Anger would not motivate me to put my personal feelings aside to do what is right by my people. And anger most certainly would not make Naruto love me. My little sister was too young to understand this yet even though she thought she was old enough to know the solution to all my problems. Despite being the age of fourteen, my little sister was very knowledgeable. Gaining knowledge on life, however, was something that she would have to come to learn with age and experience.

"You will have to ask him that, Hanabi."

Even though I could not see her due to having to keep still so that my clansman could apply eyeliner to my face, I could feel her frowning at me. She then asked me "What about Naruto?"

My body stiffened as my heart stopped at the sound of his name. No one has dared uttered his name to me after our date until now. "What about Naruto?"

"Don't you love him?" she asked. "Why are you giving up so easily after that one date? It didn't go so well, yeah, that's embarrassing, and it should've pissed you off, but you loved him for so long! You can't let him go so easily."

"That is enough, Hanabi."

"What do you mean 'that is enough'? You were chasing him for so long and as soon as he rejects you, you give up and look somewhere else? You should be fighting for his affection…"

"I have been fighting long enough!" I snapped. I rarely yell. The only people that have ever heard me yell were Hanabi and my late cousin, Neji, so when I shouted at my little sister, the clansmen in the room stared at me in disbelief. They even stepped back with uncertainty when I rose from my seat to look at my sister. "I am done chasing after him. I wasted enough years trying to even get him to acknowledge my existence. It is time that I find happiness with someone that notices that I am alive and will love me in return… I can't find that with Naruto."

Hanabi's lips tightened as she furrowed her eyebrows. She was unsatisfied with my answer. "I know that you can't cancel this date with the mystery man, but once it's over, can you at least think about giving Naruto one more chance? You can't give up on him, not yet."

Naruto left me hurt and angry not only with how he treated me on the date, but after the date as well, given that he had not bothered to contact me since then. I could not possibly think of attempting to ask him again to spend his time with me – it was too soon for me.

"Let us not discuss this right now," I told my sister as I sat back down in the chair.

Silence filled the room once again when my younger sister realized that I did not want to talk about Naruto or the arrangement. With the silence now in place, time seemed to tick by much faster than it had before, causing everything within me to go numb.

When it was time to leave, Ko, my personal bodyguard, escorted me to the café. Arriving early was common courtesy in my clan, so Ko politely waited with me until my husband-to-be showed up.

"You do not have to do this, Lady Hinata," said Ko. "You are still young and beautiful. Doing this right now is not something that you should have to do."

With a forced smile, I replied "You are sweet, Ko, but I do have to do this. Yes, I am still young, but anything can happen to me. I am a kunoichi after all. It only seems right to leave my clan with an heir as soon as possible."

"God forbid anything happens to you on a mission, but if such an incident were to occur, Lady Hanabi would lead in your stead."

I shook my head. "Hanabi would not produce an heir; she is not physically attracted to men. It would kill me to push her into a position where she is forced to procreate with a person that she will never love."

"I-I see…" said Ko, clearly surprised by Hanabi's sexual orientation. "R-Regardless, you still have plenty of time to fall in love with someone you know or with someone you can begin to know."

"I do not want to waste time on that," I said. After my horrible date with Naruto, I couldn't see myself doing the same thing with someone else. Naruto wounded me too much.

"Finding love is never a waste of time," he said. "Every second of it is an adventure and when you finally realize that you're in love, it is an incredible feeling!"

I offered Ko a small smile. This was the first real smile I gave since I had my heart broken. "It sounds like you are in love right now, Ko."

He blushed a deep crimson. "N-No, n-not at all, L-Lady Hinata."

I didn't believe him for a minute and, though not lady-like, curiosity got the better of me. I began to press for some insight. "So, who is the lucky girl? Is she pretty? Is she smart? Do I know her?"

With a crimson face, he begged "L-Lady Hinata, please…"

"Wow, she must be someone very special to make you react this way. I hope you make her happy."

The blush dissipated and he frowned. "Actually, she has no knowledge on my feelings for her."

My eyes widened in surprise. "W-What? Why haven't you told her?"

"Mostly fear holds me back, but there are other complications in the way."

"Like what?" I asked.

"She is soon to lead her people once her father steps down. Having me as a suitor is very unlikely. Confessing to her might be a lost cause."

I frowned.

"Love is wonderful," said Ko, "but it is also painful."

"Yes, I know very well that love breeds pain. Though, even if you know that, it is still worth a try. She might even feel the same way about you."

He shook his head as longing filled his white eyes. "No, she does not feel the same way, and even if she did, it does not matter."

"Why not?"

"She is arranged to marry someone else."

"Oh," was all that I could say. Yes, it was sad and I felt sympathy for Ko, however, I could not help but notice that this girl he loved sounded very much like me.

"Lady Hinata, it is getting cold out here. Why don't you take my coat?"

Before I had the chance to refuse, Ko had already taken off his coat and was placing it around my shoulders.

"T-Thank you, Ko," I said meekly. I adjusted the large coat draped over me before saying "H-Hey, Ko?"

"Yes, Lady Hinata?"

"That girl you said you were in love with – what is her name?"

He blinked a few times and made a face that told me he was thinking of what to say. Just when I thought he wasn't going to answer, he said with a small smile "That is something I will tell you another day."

The response left me dissatisfied, but I didn't want to press further in fear of what girl he would name. To even consider that this mystery girl was, in fact, me was, without a doubt, ridiculous. Ko has been my bodyguard for as long as I can remember. Being nine years my senior, he has always looked out for me just as a big brother would and I would like to think that he sees me as a little sister, though that might not be the case considering that he might be in love with me. If he is in love with me, how should I respond? I love him, but I am not _in_ love with him.

"Lady Hinata," said Ko, snapping me out of my thoughts. "I believe that your suitor has arrived."

I followed Ko's line of sight to find an intricate looking carriage coming towards us; it was a carriage that I had never seen before. The body of the carriage was navy blue with gold wooden trims holding it together. As it came closer, I noticed what appeared to be a crescent moon engulfing a smaller full moon was painted on either side of the doors on the carriage, giving me the idea that the moon was their clan's insignia.

Every clan in every village that holds importance or once held importance has a personal insignia to show people who they are. In the past when insignias were first introduced, their intent was to instill fear in people and remind commoners who was in charge. Now that times have changed, and while the present is not as barbaric as the past, fear and hatred still exists within people who have not forgotten what our ancestors did to them. Most of the clans have been wiped out through war and betrayal, however, there are still plenty of notable clans left in this world that have reshaped their clan's history of violence, changing the way people see them despite their past.

The list of names for these clans is too long, and I don't remember them all, but the ones that are most remembered by me and many others in my age group are the Uzumaki clan with the insignia of a spiral, the Uchiha clan with the insignia of a fan, the Hyuga clan, my clan, which symbolizes the essence of chakra, the Senju clan with the insignia of what seems to be a Vajra, the Fuma clan with the insignia of a shuriken, and the Inuzuka clan with the symbol of red fang markings. I have never seen the symbol on my suitor's carriage before, causing curiosity to sprout within me.

When the coachman pulled up in front of the café where Ko and I were standing, Ko took a step in front of me. That was when the coachman left his seat to open the door for whoever was inside of it. I held tightly onto Ko's coat and took a deep breath when I caught sight of a foot exiting the carriage. The coachman took the hand of the person inside to safely guide him out of it and soon as he was out on the ground, we locked eyes.

A sense of relief washed over me at the sight of him, though my anxiety was nowhere near gone. My suitor was young, attractive, and he had kind blue eyes. His unruly silver hair bounced like crazy as he took long strides to reach me. When we were face-to-face, he took my hand and kissed the surface of it, which made me blush.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, my lady. My name is Toneri Otsutsuki," he said.

His smile was charming and the kiss took me by surprise so it took me a moment to find my voice, though when I did, I managed to introduce myself without incident. "H-Hello, Lord Toneri, I am Hinata Hyuga. It is a pleasure to meet you as well."

"I can assure you that the pleasure is all mine," he said. It wasn't so much the words that made me blush as it was the flirtation in his voice. "You must be cold, Lady Hinata. Why don't we head inside?"

"Yes," I said. Before we went inside, I gave Ko his coat back and told him "Thank you for keeping me warm."

"There is no need to thank me, Lady Hinata. It is my duty and a pleasure to serve you," he said."

I smiled at him before walking into the café with my future husband.

Our table had been reserved so the waitress that was taking care of us this afternoon seated us immediately. It made me a little more nervous to discover that not only did Lord Toneri reserve a table for us, but he also reserved an entire side of the café, meaning that I was going to be alone with him throughout our lunch date.

Lord Toneri pulled my chair out for me so that I could sit, which I appreciated greatly, before taking his place in the chair opposite of me. As we waited for the drinks we ordered, we both took this as a good time to get to know each other.

I asked him "S-So, Lord Toneri, where are you from?"

He smiled kindly at me before answering the question. "I am from a place far, far away. It is very unlikely that you heard of it."

I smiled in return as a friendly gesture. "I have been to many places, Lord Toneri. There is a chance that I might have come across it on one of my missions."

"Missions?" he said with a confused expression. Soon, realization struck him. "Oh, I almost forgot. Your father had mentioned that you are a kunoichi. Where I'm from we do not have any female ninjas. Are you good at what you do?"

Though I found it odd that Lord Toneri's homeland did not have any kunoichi, I chose not to point out how uncommon that is. "Y-Yes, I am. Just this past year I had been promoted to a Jounin."

Ninjas are categorized by ranks to show the world how strong they are. Genin is the first rank, the rank assigned when graduating the ninja academy, Chunin is the second rank, and Jounin is the final rank. If one wants to exceed the level of Jounin, then they must take a long, perilous test to achieve the rank of Anbu. Unlike the other ranks where one would normally have to go on a variety of missions assigned to them by the village leader, Anbu are exclusively from the Leaf Village and they serve only the Leaf Village. Anbu Black Ops are a special ninja task force with identities hidden behind a mask that are assigned special missions from the Leaf Village leader, the Hokage, that often involve either spying on a potential threat to the village or the Hokage, or assassinating any threat posed to the Hokage's life. It is known where and how difficult the tests to graduate from Genin to Chunin and Chunin to Jounin are, but no one seems to know where the test to become Anbu is, making their identity and job even more mysterious and frightening.

"That is splendid! Though, once we marry, you will be giving that up, correct?"

I frowned as sadness washed over me. "Yes, yes I will."

My future husband didn't seem to understand how much I enjoyed my occupation. With excitement, he said "That is a good thing, Lady Hinata! Once you retire from your ninja career, you can focus on our marriage and the children that we will have."

"Y-Yes, yes you are correct, Lord Toneri."

Being relinquished of my ninja duties was no secret to me or to anyone who knew me. My father had originally sent me to the Academy to become a kunoichi since he did not see me as fit to lead our clan, but my years in the Academy and my experience out on the field completing missions strengthened me not only in my combat skills, but also my personality. The experiences I had helped me grow enough to change my father's mind and he returned my right to lead the Hyuga clan.

Receiving my father's approval made me happier than I had ever been in the longest time, however, at the same time, it saddened me. I did not know how to lead an entire clan. All I knew was how to be a kunoichi. I saw my teammates as my family more so than most my flesh and blood, and if I were to relinquish my duties as a kunoichi, then I would no longer be able to work with my teammates – the people that I have been with almost every day for seven whole years! Without them, I do not know what I will do.

Just as that thought passed my mind, the waitress returned with our drinks. Lord Toneri and I had not yet decided what to eat so the kind waitress said that she will be back.

"Lady Hinata, I must say that you were not what I was expecting when I first laid eyes on you," said Toneri. "I expected to see an unattractive woman twice my age, but, instead, I received the opposite. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and I find myself unable to take my eyes off you."

My face suddenly felt like it was on fire. "L-Lord Toneri… I-I, um, I-I do not k-know how to respond to t-that."

"You do not have to respond at all, my lady. I just wanted you to know what I think of you."

"I-I, u-um… N-No one has ever t-told me that b-before," I admitted.

He genuinely looked surprised. "Why not? You are undeniably gorgeous. Anyone who does not see that must be an idiot."

"You f-flatter me, L-Lord Toneri."

"I speak only the truth."

Bashfully, I took a sip of my water in hopes to calm down. The entire time that I was taking my drink, I felt Lord Toneri's eyes on me. No one has ever stared at me so much before, so I wasn't sure on how to react. What should I say? What should I do? I eventually decided to ask him more questions about himself to take his attention off me.

"W-What's your family l-like?" I asked.

His smile slightly faltered. "Though rich, my family is not very large or close. Growing up, it was just my father and I along with an abundance of servants. My father was always busy so he never had time for me. Since the nannies raised me, I did not really feel much when my father passed."

"O-Oh… I'm so sorry… I-I didn't mean-"

Lord Toneri shook his head, making his hair bounce wildly. "It's fine, Lady Hinata. It's been over three years now."

I fiddled with my fingers, unsure if I should ask him anymore questions pertaining to his family, but I soon came to the consensus that we were soon to be married and that the truth of Lord Toneri's family would come up eventually. Pushing myself to be brave, I asked "Do… Do you ever wish that you could have done things differently?"

"Differently?" he asked.

"Yes. Do you wish that you or your father could have made the effort to be closer?"

He seemed to be thinking of what to say as if I just asked him a difficult question. He eventually said "I never thought about that, but since you mentioned it, yes, I do wish that we were closer. There were many things that I wanted to ask him, things that I wanted to share with him, but couldn't because we were not close enough." He paused. "Does it make me a horrible person to not have considered what it would have been like to have been closer to my father?"

"No, no," I said as I placed a hand over his. "It does not make you a horrible person, Lord Toneri. Many people who lose someone wonder what their life would be like with that person in a different light and then there are others who accept the way life ruled out as is. It does not make you a bad person to accept what happened without wanting more."

My future husband offered me a smile. "Thank you, Lady Hinata. Your words mean a lot to me."

"It is the truth, Lord Toneri," I said honestly.

Moments after I removed my hand from his, Lord Toneri took a sip of his tea and then said "Lady Hinata, you do not have to call me 'Lord.' We are engaged, so using such a formality is not needed."

"O-Oh, I-I see…" While taken aback by the sudden gesture to deem ourselves as acquaintances, I did my best to hide how much he surprised me. "However, this is only our first meeting. As we come to learn more about one another, we can remove the formalities."

"I must be getting ahead of myself. Perhaps you are right."

The waitress returned to our table and by this time, Lord Toneri and I decided what we wanted to eat. Once the waitress took our orders, she scurried away to give us privacy.

"I must be in such a rush to become closer to you because you are so beautiful. I wish that we could get married today," said Lord Toneri.

I blushed not only because his honesty made me feel bashful, but also because I did not feel the same way, which made me nervous. Being in a relationship is a foreign concept to me so I feared that if my feelings for my future weren't reciprocated, he would lose interest and call off the wedding.

"Please, Lady Hinata, tell me more about yourself," he said. "It seems as though we have been talking about me this entire time. I would love to know more about you."

Though one of the reasons why this meeting had been scheduled was to not only meet one another, but to also get to know each other, I came in unprepared. I knew what to ask Lord Toneri, however, when it came myself, I did not know where to start.

"What would you like to know?" I asked.

"You are a beautiful girl," he said. "How many people have you dated before meeting me?"

While not the first question I expected, it was equally as important as the others. I told him "I attempted to date someone prior to my father reaching out to you for an arranged marriage, however, the man I was pursuing did not feel the same for me as I did for him. The relationship that I wanted to start with him was a waste of time."

"So, that means it was recently when you pursued this man? Do you still have feelings for him?"

As simple as the question was, I could not help but to feel as if there was an underlying reason to why he was asking me this. It felt almost as if he was accusing me of something.

Carefully, I told Lord Toneri "Yes, it was recently that I attempted to pursue him, meaning that, yes, I still have feelings for him. But, as I said earlier, my pursuit was a waste of time because my feelings were not reciprocated. He does not like me in the same way that I like him."

"If you still like this man, how can I expect you to devote yourself to me?"

I was not sure on how to answer that correctly. Why was he suddenly putting me on trial?

"Lord Toneri," I said, "I want to get married as much as you do, so there is no need to worry about any forms of marital betrayal. There is no future for me with the man that I like, however, there is one with you. Pursuing that man is a pointless endeavor – it will only lead me down an endless chase. With you, Lord Toneri, I can see a future. Whether that future holds happiness and love is uncertain, but I know where my priorities lie and I know what I want. Instead of focusing on the chances of me betraying you or hurting you, try focusing on learning about me. You will see that I am not the kind of person to hurt someone intentionally."

My husband-to-be stared at me for several moments before saying "That answer was unexpectedly tasteful. Nevertheless, you are right, Lady Hinata. I apologize."

We sat in awkward silence for much longer than I was comfortable with. It was almost unbearable. Though, just as I was about to excuse myself to use the restroom to escape this tension, Lord Toneri spoke. He said "I am not experienced in relationships. The first and only relationship that I had, I was betrayed. We had been dating for seven months and she had been cheating on me for more than half of the time I shared with her. When I caught her, all she could say was 'sorry.' Forgive me, Lady Hinata. I have difficulty trusting women."

"It's… It's fine, Lord Toneri. It takes time to trust someone after that."

"I will try with you," he said. "I want this to work."

All I could do was offer a small smile. When the waitress returned once again, only this time with our food, I knew that this was going to be the longest lunch I ever had.


	2. Chapter 2

Lord Toneri and I exited the warm café to be embraced by the unwelcoming cold air outside of the small building. Just as I speculated, the lunch was long and I was more than happy that it was over. We spoke here and there as we ate, but the awkward air still loomed over us. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't seem to get us to fall back into the pace we had when we first entered the café, causing me to eventually give up on my attempts to salvage our awkward date. When we parted ways, Lord Toneri kissed the surface of my hand before entering his carriage. I could tell that he was more than happy to escape the atmosphere as well.

"Is it safe to assume that it did not go so well?" asked Ko as he took his place beside me.

I shook my head with a slight frown. "It seemed to be going fine at first, but it took a turn when it came time for Lord Toneri to begin asking me questions about myself." As Ko began to walk with me back to our home, the Hyuga estate, I admitted to him "I do not think that it is going to work out."

"Forgive me for my opinion, Lady Hinata, but don't you think that it is too soon to decide that?" asked Ko. "First dates do not usually go smoothly, especially in arranged marriages. Maybe you should consider deciding that once you get to know Lord Toneri a bit more."

"Your opinion is needed and appreciated, Ko. There is no need to hesitate or apologize for your candor," I said. "I never expected the first date to go smoothly; in fact, I expected a more disastrous outcome. The issue with this is that Lord Toneri and I shared no amount of chemistry. I knew that I should have expected that as a possibility as well since we are arranged to be wed, I just did not see our date falling as flat as it did. I think that I rushed in to this too quickly just to please my father. I had no knowledge of what I was getting myself into, Ko."

Ko furrowed his brows and he frowned. "As much as I would like to tell you to ask your father to call his off, I cannot do that. As a responsible adult who not only serves you, but your father and lineage as well, I must tell you once again to become acquainted with Lord Toneri before making your final decision, Lady Hinata. If you see no progress, or if your relationship becomes worse, then I advise you to go to your father for a chance to choose your own mate."

That was not the answer that I wanted to hear and my face showed it.

Ko smiled warmly at me. "As I said before, Lady Hinata, you are young and beautiful. You do not need an arranged marriage to produce an heir for our clan. There is no need to rush."

"It might be too late for that," I said. "Asking my father to call off the wedding is wishful thinking. Once his mind is made up, there is no changing it. It is unrealistic to have my father adhere to my wishes."

"When it comes to you and your happiness, he might," said Ko. "It is hard to see at times, but Lord Hiashi loves you, Lady Hinata, and your happiness is very important to him."

I smiled despite the murky feeling forming at the pit of my stomach. "Thank you, Ko. I will try to heed your advice. Hopefully my father will-"

"Hinata!" called a voice from behind me.

Ko and I both turned around to locate the source of the voice calling for me. To my surprise, it was Sakura Haruno, a girl with shoulder length pink hair, green eyes, and incredible strength. In the Academy, those who graduate are assigned in teams of three to better their survival. While I belong to team eight, Sakura belongs to team seven, the team that saved the world from the fourth great ninja war almost two years ago. Despite being on different teams, Sakura has been a good friend to me. Knowing about my affection for her teammate Naruto, she tried to push me in his direction for years, resulting in me finally gaining enough confidence to ask him out. Even though Naruto stopped talking to me, Sakura hasn't, and when we hang out together, I often catch her calling Naruto "idiot" much more frequently than she used to.

"H-Hi, Sakura," I said. "What are you doing out this way?"

It is true that the Leaf Café is one of the most popular eateries in the Leaf Village, however, Sakura seems to have a dislike for it, and since her house is on the other side of the village, I found it odd that she was over here. I learned that when upset, she likes to go for walks, but she didn't seem as though she had something weighing on her mind this time. I could only wonder why she was out this way.

"I came to see how your date went," responded Sakura.

I frowned.

"Yikes," she said, "Was it that bad?"

I turned to Ko. "I will see you back at home."

"Of course, Lady Hinata," he said. Ko then bowed to me before walking off in the direction of the Hyuga estate. When I looked back to Sakura after watching Ko walk off, she was smiling mischievously at Ko's back.

"W-Why are you smiling like that?" I asked her.

"Oh, no reason," she said as she placed her hands on her hips. "Com'on, let's go to a place where it's warm – it's chilly out here."

"Okay."

Sakura took us to her favorite place to eat sweets – the Amaguriama. Considering that I just ate, I merely ordered a glass of water while Sakura asked for a plate of dumplings. As we waited, Sakura asked me "So, what's wrong with the guy that your dad set you up with? Is it his personality? Is he too old? Is he not cute enough?"

"No, he is young and attractive, though looks do not have anything to do with it. That is more so a trait that you would look for, Sakura." Sakura shrugged in agreement. "We just do not have much in common. It was… awkward to say the least. He seems to be insecure as well."

"Hmm… maybe he isn't used to girls? You said that he's a lord, right? Where's he from?"

"He is…" I thought back to our conversation when I asked Lord Toneri where he was from, realizing that he avoided my question by changing the topic. "I asked him, but he never told me."

Sakura crossed her arms and said sarcastically "That's not suspicious at all. Your dad reached out to him, so he has to know where he's from. You can ask him, right?"

"Yes…" Knowing that Lord Toneri didn't want to tell me where he lived was unsettling. If he did not want to give me information as simple as that, what else would he hide from me?

Sakura studied my face. "You don't have to do this, you know, at least not with him. You're eighteen, Hinata. You don't have to be worrying about marriage right now no matter what your dad says, and just because Naruto is a numbskull and can't see a good thing when it's right in front of him, doesn't mean that you should give up all hope by putting yourself in this situation. There are plenty of fish in the sea and a lot of those fish have been eyeing you."

I frowned again. "You know better than anyone how it feels to have your feelings rejected by the person you like. I feel defeated, hopeless, and unwanted because the only person that I ever wanted does not want me."

Sakura smiled sadly at me. "Yeah, you're right, but that doesn't mean you should give up. Make your own choices instead of having your dad make them for you."

"Yes, you are right, though, despite my complaining and uncertainties, I'm going to give Lord Toneri another chance before I ask my father to call off the arrangement." I studied Sakura's face, noticing that she was thinking deeply about something troubling her. I soon assumed that it was because I mentioned unrequited affection. I said to her "I am sorry. I should not have brought up Sasuke."

Her eyes widened a little once his name left my lips. "No, no it's okay. I'm over him," she said as a forced smile spread across her face. "I haven't thought about him in a while."

I knew that wasn't true, though I thought it as best not to mention that. "Has he sent any letters to you or to Naruto?"

"Not this month. The last letter he sent was about two months ago to Kakashi sensei. I don't know what it was about. Probably had something to do with his investigation. I don't even know where he is right now."

I remained silent for a couple of moments before asking "Have you sent any letters to him recently?"

"No," she scoffed.

I eyed her suspiciously.

"Okay, yes, I have. He never sent a reply back, obviously." She sat forward in her seat. "I worry about him. I know he's strong, but he's alone with no one to have his back if he ever gets into a bind. If he were to die out there, I don't think we'd ever know about it."

I shook my head. "That is not true. Naruto would find him. He has a talent for finding Sasuke when he needs him most."

Sakura smiled, reassured by the point I made. "Yeah, that's true!"

"If you do not mind me asking, what is Sasuke investigating?" I asked.

"Um, I don't know the details. All I know is that it's related to Kaguya Otsutsuki."

Kaguya Otsutsuki was the woman who ate a chakra fruit from the God Tree, making her the first person to obtain the power of chakra, the energy needed to use any form of jutsu. From wielding too much power, Kaguya had become crazy, killing and terrorizing her people, making their reverence for her turn to fear. Kaguya was then sealed by one of her sons, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, also known as the Sage of Six Paths, and she was never to be seen again. Although, that tale was more than a millennium ago, and God Trees and chakra fruit are long since extinct. During the war, a powerful ninja released Kaguya from the seal and she nearly destroyed the world, that is, until team seven stopped her. As to what Sasuke was investigating about her, I was not sure. There were a lot of possibilities.

"Really? That is dangerous," I said.

"I know, but he's not a part of team seven anymore. He wanted to be alone for a while to redeem himself for all of the bad things that he's done so he volunteered to do that." She paused. "I wish that I could have gone with him, yet, knowing Sasuke, he'd just say that I'd get in his way like usual."

I smiled at her last remark. When they were kids, Sasuke would always tell her that she would get in his way whenever she tried to help. Even though Sasuke refused to admit it, it was clear that he appreciated her efforts to assist him in anything he attempted to do. I wondered if he still felt that way today.

Moments later, the waiter returned with my water and Sakura's dumplings. Pure glee wiped away any trace of worry on Sakura's face when the plate was set down in front of her. She immediately began to consume the sweets as I sipped from the glass of water I received.

Sakura ceased eating for a second to ask me "Isn't tomorrow your last mission?"

"Oh, yes…" I responded with a frown. "Kiba, Shino, and I will be tracking down a missing person. Lord Hokage said that he would brief us on it more tomorrow in his office."

"I know that tracking is team eight's specialty, but finding a missing person seems like a job for a group of Genin or even a Chunin. Why does he need three Jounin to track one person?"

"I do not know. Maybe he is important?"

"I guess you'll find out when you talk to Kakashi sensei." Sakura finished off the rest of her dumplings. "When you get back from the mission, how does a retirement party sound to you?" she asked.

"A retirement party?" I asked. "W-When you say that, it makes me seem old."

She laughed. "Now that you mention it, yeah, it does. Ino and I were going to plan it. She wanted it to be a surprise, but I told her that you don't do so well with surprises. I figured I would check in with you to make sure it'd be okay to give you a party."

"I…" Thinking about the end of my ninja career stirred up unpleasant emotions again. It was still hard to imagine my life not doing the same thing that I have been doing for the past six years, especially when the new life that I would be entering involves betrothal to Lord Toneri and leading my clansmen in place of my father. The new life that I would be living scared me. I didn't want to admit that to anyone, not even to Sakura, because from here on I must be strong not only physically, but emotionally as well.

"If it makes you feel any better, the party's not only for you," she said. "It's for us too. We can always visit you at home, but we're going to miss you out on the field, especially your teammates. We want to enjoy spending time with you before you put a ring on your finger."

Knowing that would make me feel selfish if I refused the party, so I told her "Alright, yes, we should have a party."

With excitement, she said "Really? We'll keep it subtle, of course. It'll just be teams seven, eight, and ten, Lee and Tenten, and a few of our sensei. We're going to borrow Yakiniku Q for the occasion."

Yakiniku Q is a self-serve barbeque location that we usually go to after missions or on our days off. The teams that Sakura mentioned are people that graduated with us from the Academy. When we graduated, we were called "The Rookie Nine", but since Sasuke left team seven, that nickname has been removed from us. There are still nine of us in the three teams, however, the person who took Sasuke's place did not graduate with us.

"That sounds great, Sakura," I said.

She responded with a large smile.

We finished our food and drink and then decided to leave the Amaguriama. Outside of the building, Sakura said to me "I don't know how long it's going to take, but I'll see you after you complete your mission, yeah?"

I nodded my head. "Yes, you will."

"Alright then. Be careful, Hinata. See you soon."

We waved each other goodbye as she headed off down the road in the opposite direction of where I had to go.

It did not take me long to reach the Hyuga estate. When I did, I aimed straight for my room. The day that I had was by no means long, yet, my body felt tired and as soon as I was enveloped by the softness of my mattress, I ended up falling asleep. I was not sure how much time had passed since I drifted off when I was woken up by a knock at my door, but judging by how groggy I was feeling, it must not have been very long. I left my bed to open the door to be met by a clan member on the other side.

She bowed to me and then told me "Lady Hinata, Lord Hiashi wishes to speak with you."

"My father wants to speak with me? Do you have any knowledge on what it is regarding?"

"No, my lady."

Curiosity took over me. "Thank you, you are dismissed.

She bowed to me once again before she parted ways with me.

My father does not like waiting so I hurried over to where I suspected he would be. Sure enough, when I reached my destination my father was where I hoped he would be – the training room.

"Father, you wished to speak with me?" I said to him once I entered the room.

My father was sitting in the middle of the large room on a cushion facing in my direction, which immediately put me on edge. As a child, my father would wait for me in this very room whenever I did something to displease him. As punishment, he would have me spar with him, knowing that I could not possibly win against him. He covered me in bruises, and I would wake up sore for days on end. Seeing him sit here now unsettled me even though if he were to spar with me currently, my strength would rival his.

"Yes," he said. He then gestured to the cushion on the floor opposite of him. "Please, sit."

Hesitantly, I approached my expecting father, sitting down on the spot he offered to me. Once I took my seat, I soon realized that I had not done something to anger my father, causing me to relax.

"Ko informed me on the date you and Lord Toneri had. He told me that you did not enjoy your time with him," said my father.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Ko told you? It was not his right to tell you that."

"He only told me because I asked. If I had not, he would not have told me otherwise. Do not be angry with Ko. He respects your privacy, but he must respect my wishes more. When you are leader of the Hyuga Clan, it will be the same for you."

My father may have been right, though it still irritated me. I admitted "Yes, the date did not go so well, Father. I expected there to be differences in our opinions and the like. I just did not expect for our date to be as terrible as it was. It was awkward."

"You cannot let one bad encounter discourage you from your duties. As a leader, you will come across many encounters much worse than a simple date. Do not allow this to alter your path. If you do, then life in my position will be very difficult for you."

"I understand that, Father, but-"

"If you truly understand, Hinata, then you will not use words such as 'but'."

"Y-Yes, Father."

My father studied my face for a few seconds. He said to me "You do not want to marry Lord Toneri, do you?"

I thought it as wise to tell him the truth despite the urge I had to lie to please him. "No, Father, I do not. I thought that I could do this, however, I cannot bring myself to marry a stranger, a stranger that I have no attraction for nonetheless. I was reminded today on more than one occasion that I am still young. I am only turning nineteen next month and I do not need a marriage to secure my position as heir to our clan. I wanted to wait to try to grow closer to Lord Toneri before I brought this to your attention, but I do not believe that is going to happen. Father, I wish to ask you to call off this arrangement." I placed my hands on the tatami floor in front of me and I leaned over to bow before him. "Please give me more time, Father."

I remained in that position for what seemed like hours as I waited for my father to give me an answer. I felt his eyes on me, which left me guessing as to what he was thinking about. Under the pressure, I began to sweat and my throat ran dry. I wanted him to say something, anything, at this point. Just when I thought that I could not take the tension any longer, I heard my father draw a breath.

He said to me "I knew that you have grown, Hinata, I just never knew how much. You are beginning to sound like a leader." I looked up at my father who was smiling down at me. He then gestured for me to discontinue bowing. "I feel as though I must apologize. I rushed into this without considering how you felt. True, it is an arranged marriage, but we are no longer living in a time where the child has no say. With Hanabi exhibiting affections for other girls, I began to worry where our line would end. I am not saying that you are like your younger sister, but I became afraid when I saw how depressed you became after going on a date with Naruto. You adored him for so long, I feared that you would not want to seek another. That was when I reached out to Lord Toneri, or rather, he reached out to me."

"Lord Toneri reached out to you?" I asked in surprise.

"Yes. I took that as a sign and when you were able, I encouraged you to accept the proposal he offered to me." He smiled at me again. "I see now that I made a mistake. You are not the girl that you once were – you are strong now; physically, mentally, and emotionally. I will call off the wedding."

A mixture of happiness and disbelief overtook me. "R-Really?"

"Yes, really."

I bowed to him again. "Thank you, Father! Thank you so much! I will assure you that I will lead our clan with as much power and passion as you and the leaders before you. I will not let you down."

"I know that you will not fail, Hinata," he said to me. "Now, you should get some rest. You have a mission tomorrow, correct?"

"Yes, I do." I stood up from the cushion and bowed once again to my father prior to exiting the room. That night, until I feel asleep, the annulment felt too good to be true.


	3. Chapter 3

At six in the morning, I was wide awake. I was dressed in my mission attire as I packed my bag with essentials for the trip that had yet to come. This was routine for me for six years whenever I had a mission assigned to me, so picking out the things that I needed and did not need for a mission is common sense to me. On days that I had to embark on a mission, I would often find myself reluctant to go as I packed items for a questionable amount of days away from home. Today, I found myself eager, yet sad.

I was sad because I did not want my career to end as I have mentioned before, and I was feeling eager because after this mission, my father will hold a ceremony officially announcing me as the Hyuga clan leader and I will be able to lead my clan down a path against what my ancestors had originally forced my clan to follow.

Hundreds of years ago, the Hyuga clan had been divided into two houses – the main branch and the side branch. The main branch was filled with people who were strong, intelligent, and had a talent for the Gentle Fist, the style of fighting that only a Hyuga can use, while the side branch was housed with the "lesser" Hyuga clan members. To keep the side branch from rebelling or usurping, the first leader of the Hyuga clan created a curse mark that he placed on their foreheads to control the side branch. With a hand sign, the leader can cause pain so excruciating that death could follow. Not only that, when a member bearing the curse mark dies, the Byakugan, a kekkei genkai trait passed down only through the bloodline of a Hyuga, dies with them. Since then, the generation of leaders continued to follow in their ancestors' footsteps, creating animosity between houses. As leader, I want to change that and rejoin our houses after over a hundred years. Many members in the main branch will not be happy once I announce the abolishment of segregation, however, I prepared myself for their criticism.

A knock at my door snapped me out of my thoughts. I answered the door and the clansman on the other side bowed to me when she met my gaze. "Lady Hinata," she said, "your teammates are waiting for you at the gate."

My heart dropped to my stomach. This moment could not come any sooner.

"Thank you," I told her, gestured for her to leave. As soon as she was gone, I double checked the items that I packed and then headed out the door.

My teammates' backs were facing me when I got outside, but as soon as I left the porch to the estate, Kiba and Akamaru turned to face me. Kiba smiled largely at the sight of me while Akamaru barked in excitement as his tail wagged side to side. Getting the idea that I was approaching, Shino also turned around to see me.

I opened the gate to reach my expecting teammates. I said to Kiba as I pet Akamaru "I think your nose rivals Akamaru's now."

"Oh, I don't know 'bout that," he said as he more than happily took in the flattery. "It definitely makes me feel good that you noticed my amazing ability."

Kiba is from the Inuzuka clan, a clan filled with people that have a unique connection to canines. Each member of the Inuzuka clan has a sensitive sense of smell very similar to that of a dog's when they concentrate chakra to their noses. They all have sharp nails and fangs and they choose to wear their clan's insignia on their cheeks. At the age of eight, an Inuzuka receives a dog to train in the art of tracking and hunting prey. The goal is to not only enhance the ability of their canine partner, but their own natural abilities as well by learning how to work together. If the child does not pass the test in the leader's standard, then they cannot join the family pack.

"'Amazing'?" said Shino. "I wouldn't go as far as calling it amazing. After all, smelling and peeing on things is the only thing you're good for."

"Do you really want to do this now, Shino?" challenged Kiba. "At least my nose is more useful than your bugs! I can sniff someone out from more than a mile away while the only way you'll be useful to us is if you manage to land a bug someone without them knowing and that doesn't happen often, does it?"

Shino sucked on his teeth and then began to sulk like he usually does.

"Hey, please do not do this," I said. "This is supposed to be fun! If you are going to fight, do it after the mission."

"Oh, we'll have fun alright, once this guy stops sulking!" Kiba was speaking to me but he was looking at Shino.

"Stop, stop," I said to Kiba. I moved away from Akamaru to face my teammates. "Have you forgotten that this is our last mission together as team eight? We cannot start the day off mad at each other. That is not how I want to leave you, and whether you see it now or not, I know that this is not how you want to leave things either." They were listening to me, but Shino and Kiba were too stubborn to work things out on their own so I took them both by the hand and said "Come on guys! On three, let's give team eight one last shout to remember this day by. One, two, three!"

I threw our hands up in the air. Mine stay up there, but Kiba and Shino let their hands fall to their sides. They continued to stand there – frowning.

"Kiba, Shino, please," I said. "I do not want to beg."

My teammates looked at each other, deciding to give up for my sake. They placed their hands on top of each other and I followed in suit. Smiling at them, I thanked them prior to adding "On three. One, two, three…"

Together, we tossed our hands in the air and shouted "Team eight, fall out!"

When our hands dropped to our sides, Kiba grinned at me saying "When did you become so corny?"

"'C-Corny'?" I repeated. "I am not corny!"

"Uh-huh, sure," said Kiba.

"Don't you think that we've spent enough time dawdling?" said an impatient Shino. "The Hokage is expecting us. We shouldn't keep him waiting any longer than he has."

Looking at Kiba's face alone, I knew that he planned to reply to Shino with a snarky remark. As he drew a breath to unleash his words, he caught sight of me shaking my head and closed his mouth. Instead, though it pained him, he said "Yeah, you're right Shino. We should go."

"Of course I'm right," replied Shino. He began to walk down the road to the Hokage mansion. "Now, let's go. We're late enough as it is."

As Shino walked off, Kiba made a gesture as if he was going to choke Shino. All I could do in response was laugh silently at his frustration. Kiba and Shino were opposites what with Kiba being carefree and laidback while Shino was uptight and responsible, causing them to clash often. Without me there to create a balance between them, or to stop their fights, I worried what would become of their relationship once I left.

Soon, the four of us reached the Hokage mansion. The two guards out front noticed who we were immediately, granting us access inside of the building. When we reached the Hokage's room, Lord Kakashi was gazing out of the large window beside of his desk littered in piles of paperwork. Upon our arrival, he turned to face us. He wore a mask that covered his nose and mouth to conceal his identity, so the only way I knew he smiled at us when he saw us was by his dark eyes lighting up.

"You're here early. I didn't expect you here for another thirty minutes," said Lord Kakashi.

"Early?" repeated Kiba in shock as he shot the back of Shino a deadly glare.

Shino chose to ignore Kiba by getting straight to business. He said to Lord Kakashi "You told us that we are supposed to locate a missing person. Who is this person and where was he last seen?"

"Yeah, that's right," said Kiba with a hand on his hip. He was irritated. "Isn't finding a missing person a job for a Genin? This sounds like a C-rank mission. Jounin shouldn't be wasting time on missions like this."

"Kiba!" I scolded.

He shrugged. "It's true. What gives, Kakashi sensei?"

Lord Kakashi abandoned the window to sit at his desk. "You aren't wrong, Kiba, however, this missing person is no ordinary individual and he didn't go missing under ordinary circumstances."

Kiba crossed his arms as he pouted.

"What do you mean, Lord Hokage?" I asked.

"The man that you are searching for is a member of the Anbu Black Ops so you have to swear to me that you will keep this mission as discreet as possible as well as the identity of this person should you see his face." Once we nodded in agreement to his terms, Lord Kakashi proceeded onward in briefing us on the situation. "The man you're looking for is named Kei Sairenji, and the mask that he wears is a bear. The task I gave him was to spy on a man rumored to be affiliated with Yuji Fuma, an S-rank criminal that led an attack on a small village not too far from the Leaf. Normally, I would have had Kei simply assassinate Yuji Fuma, but after Yuji led the attack on the village, he vanished, which is why I sent Kei to track down and spy on the person that is possibly affiliated with Yuji to learn where Yuji is hiding."

"Where did you send Kei to spy on the rumored man?" asked Shino.

"I sent him to the Village Hidden Among Dreams, a small village on the border of the Land of Fire. That is the last place that the man suspected of having a relation to Yuji was located."

"Does the man working with Yuji have a name?" asked Kiba.

Lord Kakashi groaned. "He's Arata Sakuraba – the new feudal lord of the Land of Fire."

Our eyes widened in astonishment. I said "The new lord? If that is true, then…"

Lord Kakashi nodded his head and his face turned grim. "Yes. If he is associated with Yuji Fuma then this could mean big trouble for the Leaf."

"Wait, wait," said Kiba. "I know that feudal lords are important and all, but what is it that they do exactly?"

Shino scoffed. "Don't you know anything? A feudal lord is responsible for all the decisions concerning the country that they serve. Their job includes counseling the Kage, allying nations and small villages, and dealing with finances by creating budgets. Every decision that the Kage has to make must go through the country's feudal lord, including enlisting missions such as this one to a group of Jounin."

"If that's true, then Arata doesn't know that you're sending us in to track him down," said Kiba after he shot Shino a glare.

"When we find him, what should we do with him?" I asked. "It isn't as though we could question him about the rumors regarding his affiliation to Yuji Fuma. If we do, and the rumors are false or we cannot find anything to link him to the rumors, then your position could be threatened."

"The safety of the Leaf Village comes before my position of Hokage. When you find Arata, question him," said Lord Kakashi. "The man is a coward. If you pin him into a corner, I'm sure he'll break."

Me and my team exchanged conflicted expressions, choosing not to share what we were thinking with Lord Kakashi.

"You said that Kei disappeared?" said Shino. "How did this happen?"

"I don't know," answered Lord Kakashi. "The only reason how I know that he's missing at all is because he was supposed to check in with me two nights ago, which he didn't, and he always checks in."

Kiba, displaying his serious face, told Lord Kakashi "Every minute we stand here is another minute wasted on finding Kei; we will leave right now."

Lord Kakashi smiled. "Good luck and be careful."

We bowed to our Hokage and then exited his office. On our way out of the building, Kiba shared what were all thinking. "As much as I want to make this mission faster, we can't just interrogate Arata without evidence."

"Yes," I agreed. "There has to be someone in the Village Hidden Among Dreams who knows where Lord Arata stayed overnight or overheard him conspiring."

"As easy as you make it sound, Hinata, it will be extremely difficult to find evidence on Arata. With each minute that passes, Arata gets closer to getting away with his conspiracy," said Shino.

"Which is why we're going to sprint nonstop to the Village Hidden Among Dreams," said Kiba as he opened the door leading outside. "When we get there, Akamaru and I will sniff out Arata's scent, Hinata will question the villagers, and Shino will stand guard by the gates to make sure that if Arata is there hiding, he won't get away."

"That sounds like a good plan," I said. "We can cover more ground if we… What?"

After blinking several times to be positive on what I was seeing, I gaped. Lord Toneri was approaching me in the distance. He looked furious.

As he grew closer I asked in disbelief "L-Lord Toneri, what are you doing here?"

"Your father met with me this morning at the hotel that I was staying at," said Toneri. "He informed me that we are no longer getting married. Is this true? Do you not wish to marry me?"

I stood there speechless for a moment as I tried to collect myself. I could hardly believe that Lord Toneri sought me out to ask me this, especially while I was currently on a mission. Though, when I found my voice, I told him "Yes, we are no longer getting married. I asked my father to cancel it."

It was clear to anyone that Lord Toneri was angry. "Why would you do that? We barely came to knowing each other!"

"I am not ready for marriage," I said. "Instead of marrying someone, I should be thinking of what my clan needs from me as their leader."

Lord Toneri paced for a moment, his face taken by a snarl. As soon as he found his words, he said "Your father wasted my time by bringing me out here just to have you reject me. Do you have any idea how much that infuriates me?" He pointed a finger at my face. "Don't you dare think for a second that annulling this will be that easy!"

Kiba stepped in front of me, pushing Lord Toneri's hand out the way as he did so. He then stared Lord Toneri down to the point where he forced my ex-fiancé to take a step back. Before my former husband-to-be retreated, he said to me "You cannot get rid of me that easily. Had you bothered to get to know me better, you would have known that. We will get married, Lady Hinata, whether you want to or not."

Lord Toneri's words left him sounding like a lunatic. Yet, even though I should have brushed off his threat, the murky feeling at the pit of my stomach returned to me. Something told me that would be wise not to take his threat lightly.


	4. Chapter 4

"So, we aren't going to talk about what your crazy ex-fiancé said to you?" asked Kiba as we approached the gate to the Village Hidden Among Dreams.

The journey to the Village Hidden Among Dreams was a long one. To reach our destination from the Leaf Village, we had to travel through a large forest until we came across the border of the Land of Fire. What Lord Hokage failed to tell us was that the village was located _within_ the notorious Forest of Mythical Beasts somewhere near the border, causing us to get lost an incredulous amount of times and forcing us to avoid abnormally large insects. By the time we found the village, nightfall long since covered the Land of Fire. Yet, despite how tired we all were from the long, frustrating journey, Kiba continuously asked me about Lord Toneri and that made me more irritable.

I frowned at him.

"Alright, alright," he said. "We're all tired, I know. That's why I'll just ask you tomorrow after we rest up at the inn." Kiba flashed me a smile when I shot him a glare. "Can I just mention that for a team of elite tracking ninja, we botched everything we learned when it came to finding this village?"

"Normally, I would have brought that to our attention, but I don't think that you should blame our skills in tracking," said Shino. "This area is covered in an unusually thick mist."

"Mist shouldn't stop my nose from sniffing it out," said Kiba.

Akamaru barked in agreement.

"I know that, but this mist is different. It's impairing our abilities," said Shino. "My kikaichi aren't as active like they are normally. It must be genjutsu."

Shino is a part of the Aburame family. Since birth, children of the Aburame clan are infused with these beetle-like insects called kikaichu that allows the host to use them to fight and track a target in exchange for using their body as a home and their chakra as a food source. Shino carries thousands of kikaichu inside of his body.

Kiba sniffed the air. "Yeah. The scents around me aren't as strong as they should be. I can hardly smell my own sweat."

My teammates looked at me, waiting for me to use my ability to track others. With a crooked smile, I activated my Byakugan.

The Byakugan is a visual jutsu passed down through the sole bloodline of the Hyuga clan. It allows the user to see their surroundings in a 360-degree point of view except for it's only blind spot on the back of the neck above the first thoracic vertebra. It also allows the user to see when genjutsu is being used, discern clones from the real person, and see their chakra flow. By using the Byakugan with the Gentle Fist, a Hyuga can control or shut down their target's chakra simply by surgically injecting their own chakra into their opponent's chakra pathway system. In all, there are three-hundred-sixty-one nodes in a human body, but I only need to hit a few to control or shut down the ebb and flow of their chakra. Despite the name "Gentle" Fist, the slightest tap cause damage to the chakra pathway system. That is why the Hyuga clan is the strongest and most feared clan among the Hidden Leaf Village.

When I activated my Byakugan, I felt the veins around my eyes bulge out, and my pupils, that are usually invisible, became more pronounced. With it, I stared at the mist to see if I could find anything out of the ordinary, however, just like my teammates, my ability was impaired.

Deactivating my Byakugan, I said to Kiba and Shino "My vision is being distorted. I cannot see anything in this mist."

"It must be intentional," said Shino. "The people here probably don't want to be found so easily. If that's the case, you need to rethink your plan, Kiba."

Kiba crossed his arms over his chest as he thought of a new plan. "Hinata, I want you to ask the villagers about Arata just as I told you before. Shino, Akamaru and I will go to the inn and ask the innkeeper if Arata booked a room there. If not, then we'll search the village for anything out of the ordinary."

"What should I do in regards to Kei Sairenji?" I asked. Unfortunately, since Kei was investigating secretly, it was unlikely that anyone saw him around, not that I could ask anyway. His identity and reasons for spying must be kept hidden. If I were to mention him, I could potentially place him in jeopardy.

Kiba seemed to know precisely how to answer that question. He told me "When we find Arata, we can ask him that personally."

I smiled at Kiba. "It is still hard for me to get used to you sounding like a team captain."

"Oh yeah? I can be a leader when I want to be," he said. "Now, let's set up camp outside of the gate. If we decide to sleep at the inn, and Arata is there, it'd be bad if he caught us."

"I'll take the first watch," said Shino.

We wasted no time in setting up camp three-hundred meters away from the Village Hidden Among Dreams. Kiba and Shino set up the tent and fire while Akamaru and I gathered food for me to cook. After we ate, Shino took the first watch just as he said he would as Kiba, Akamaru, and I rested up. Once Shino finished his watch, Kiba took his place, and then I watched after that. Before we knew it, the sun began to rise, forcing us to pack up our belongings and enter the village.

It was plain to see that the village was remote, far from any other villages, and hidden well amongst the trees and mist. Not many people lived here as there were only about one-hundred houses and a handful of shops. Considering that day just broke, hardly any people were outside, leaving me with little to work with.

"It might be too early to ask the innkeeper about Arata. We should check out the village and come back to the inn later," said Kiba.

Shino nodded in agreement. When the two of them walked off, I initiated the task of asking around.

I approached the first person that I saw and asked him "Excuse me, sir? May I borrow a moment of your time?"

The old man took a glance at me, sneered, and then continued walking.

Admittedly, I was taken aback at his response to me, however, as rude as he was, I chose to not let that bother me, and I resumed searching for people to speak to.

The next person that I found was a middle-aged woman tending to her garden at the front of her property. I stood at the fence separating us to ask her "Excuse me, can you spare a moment of your time?"

A bit startled, the woman complied and she rose to her feet to meet me.

"This is a small village. Do you often get visitors here?" I asked.

"No, not often," she said.

"When you do receive visitors, they must stand out, correct?"

She nodded her head meekly.

"Have you received any visitors recently? Perhaps within the past couple of weeks or so?"

"Just a few," she said.

"Was there anything out of the ordinary that you noticed?"

"There wasn't anything too unusual. The only thing that caught my attention was that whoever came through arrived here in a carriage. I figured that whoever was travelling inside must have been important because there were a few people walking beside it, almost as if they were assigned to protect the person inside," she said.

"Did you ever receive the opportunity to see who was travelling in the carriage?" I asked.

The woman shook her head.

"Do you know if this person is still in the village?"

"I don't know, honestly. I never saw them leave. It has been five days since I saw the carriage. It is possible that they left without me seeing."

Learning that Lord Arata might still be in the village raised my hopes. If he had left, then that would undoubtedly make this mission tedious. Neither Kiba, Shino, or I felt like chasing this man through the Land of Fire.

"Thank you so much for your time," I told her as I bowed.

The woman gave me useful information, however, I felt as though I needed to question more people, seeming as I could not simply stick with one story. I wanted to confirm what the woman witnessed as well as obtain more knowledge on what was seen. I needed to know if Lord Arata left the village, and if he did, I needed to know when he left.

I tried questioning a few more people after that with no luck. With little to no villagers outside at this time, I decided to wait until the village became more active. Unfortunately, yet expected, I had to wait a few hours for the villagers to leave their homes, but when I did decide to wait, I didn't regret it. The streets flooded with enough people for me to feel confident in obtaining new information.

I asked around some more, often hearing the same story as the woman I spoke to earlier or nothing at all. No one seemed to have caught a glimpse of the face of the person inside of the carriage, convincing me that the person inside did not want to be seen by just anyone. People also did not see the person in the carriage leave the village within the past five days that they have seen the carriage come in. They told me that they usually see it stationed at the inn.

Feeling as though I was not going to learn anything new from the villagers, I left to find my teammates. Unable to use my Byakugan, I had to find them the old-fashioned way, which did not turn out as difficult as I originally thought.

I saw my teammates in the distance discussing something that seemed important. As I closed in on them, a person with an appearance unlike any other in this village caught my attention. She had messy purple hair and two red symmetrical lines under her amber colored eyes. Around her neck, she wore rings held together by red string and she wore a headband shaped like a face guard with the Village Hidden Among Dream's symbol on it, telling me that she was a kunoichi. In fact, throughout my wandering through this village, I had not come across any shinobis, which is the main reason why she caught my attention.

And I think that I grabbed her attention as well.

She approached me with a very serious expression plastered on her face. She said to me "I heard that you were searching for someone."

"Y-Yes, I am."

"Do you want to know who was in that carriage?" she asked.

I nodded my head. "Yes."

She looked around with caution. "It isn't safe here. Go to the chief's house and tell them Ryuka Tenro sent you. The guards will let you in to see the chief – my father."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.

"The man that came here is up to something that could threaten my village. My father won't take action to stop him and he won't let me do things my way. He says it's too risky to throw punches. He says that we need to approach this from a different angle. So far we haven't had an opportunity to explore that angle until you and your team showed up."

"So, you want to use us to get rid of your problem?" I asked.

She shrugged. "From what I heard, he's your problem too. Take your team and go to the chief's house."

Before I could say any more, Ryuka left.

I met up with Kiba and Shino, whose faces looked defeated.

"I take it you did not find anything worth investigating?" I asked.

"Oh, we found something alright," said Kiba, his face changing from defeat to annoyance, "but those bastards guarding it wouldn't let us go in."

"We couldn't find anything inside of the village so we decided to explore outside of it," said Shino. "Not too far from here lies a cave inside of a volcano used to prison a monster the villagers call Three-Heads. It's a beast that is made up of a solid concentration of chakra and said to bring forth cataclysms. Legend has it that the first cry it makes scorches mountains and plains, the second cry shakes the earth, and the third turns the world to nothingness."

"That sounds dangerous," I said. "You did not run into Three-Heads, did you?"

"No," said Kiba, still sounding annoyed. "The beast was killed three years ago!"

"Wait, that does not make sense. If the beast was killed, why are their people guarding the cave?" I asked. "With the beast gone, that cave is nothing but a landmark."

"Which is why we became suspicious," said Shino. "We tried getting in the cave, but there's no way in other than the front entrance, and with our abilities impaired, we can't ask you to use your Byakugan to see what they're hiding."

An idea suddenly came to me. "Maybe not. We can ask the village chief to give us access to the cave."

"This village has a chief?" asked Kiba. "I didn't see any fancy houses."

"If we ask, maybe we can find it," I suggested.

Asking for directions to the chief's house proved to be much easier than gathering information on Lord Arata Sakuraba, seeming as the very first person I asked described the home in vivid detail and pointed me in the appropriate direction. Momentarily, my team and I reached the house only to be met by two guards posted outside the front door. They demanded to know who were and when I told them who sent us, they let us through without any further questioning.

The home was small and very similar to the others. It did not take long to find the chief of the village and when we did, I was thrown by how large he was. He was a man of stature that I had never seen before what with being well over two-hundred centimeters. Observing the rest of his features, I noticed that he was bulky for an older man and, judging by facial expression alone, he looked as though he did not enjoy small talk. He had grey spiky hair and he wore a headband and rings around his neck identical to Ryuka. Regardless of how his appearance intimidated us, my team and I bowed respectfully and introduced ourselves.

Since we were in his home, and his position as village chief was a higher title than Leaf Village Jounin, he did not bow back. Instead, he gestured for us to sit down, introduced himself, and then jumped immediately to business. "I am Enzo Tenro, the chief of the Village Hidden Among Dreams. What business do Leaf ninja have in my village?"

My team and I exchanged glances, deciding that it would be best to let me speak since I am the least likely to unintentionally upset the chief with disrespect.

I said "Chief Enzo, we came here in search of a man that could potentially cause a great disturbance within the Land of Fire. This man we are looking for is supposedly suspected of taking refuge somewhere in your village. I would like to ask if you have seen this man."

Chief Enzo Tenro's face transformed from business to great displeasure. "We received a few visitors about five days ago that don't plan on leaving anytime soon. Is it Arata Sakuraba you're looking for? The new feudal lord for the Hokage?"

Relief overcame me and my teammates. I asked "Is Lord Arata still here? Do you know where we might find him?"

"That snake is holed up in the Three-Head's Prison, the cave we used to hold Three-Heads when it was still alive. What he's doing in there, I couldn't tell you," said Enzo.

"There are people guarding the entrance to the cave. Are they your men?" I asked.

Enzo shook his head. "No, those are some of the people that Arata brought with him when he got here. Ever since he arrived he's been acting like he owns my village. I would have long since kicked him out of here, but he threatened me."

"You seem like a man that doesn't stand down to anyone regardless of their position," said Kiba. "What did he threaten you with to make you let him do whatever he wants?"

Chief Enzo's face turned grim. "He had a weapon unlike any that I have ever seen before. He pointed it at one of my guards and before anyone could move to stop him, my guard was pushed with so much force that his body left an indent behind the Three-Head's Prison… There was nothing left to salvage from his body."

My team and I exchanged glances again.

"We were sent here to expose Lord Arata," I said. "I would like to ask you to give us access to the Three-Head's Prison."

"As much as I would like to do that, I can't. If I can't get in, what makes you think I can get you in?" said Chief Enzo.

"You know your village and the land around it better than anyone else," said Shino. "If we can't sneak into the cave, maybe we can get the guards to leave somehow."

Chief Enzo thought for a moment. When he came up with something to aid us on our mission, he told us "The Hill of Illusions is located on the edge of the village. It overlooks the Forest of Mythical Beasts, including the Three-Head's Prison. If you go there, you might be able to lure the guards away."

We bowed to the chief. I said to him "Thank you, Chief Enzo. We will leave at once."

Just as we stood up to leave the room, Chief Enzo called out to us. He handed me an envelope and said "My daughter found this yesterday in Arata's room at the inn. I figured that it'd be more useful to you than to me."

Kiba and Shino gathered around me as I opened the envelope entrusted to us. Inside were letters Yuji Fuma sent to Arata Sakuraba regarding their conspiracy to murder the Hokage and take over the Leaf Village. By no means what was written in said letters were a good thing, yet, my and team and I couldn't help ourselves from smiling at our discovery.


	5. Chapter 5

We wasted little time in acting on our plan, travelling almost immediately to the Hill of Illusions that overlooked the forest. From above, we had a perfect view of our enemies camping outside of the Three-Head's Prison, noticing that there were five men guarding the entrance. Even though I knew that my Byakugan would not work in this mist, I attempted to capture a glimpse of anything deemed suspicious. Sure enough, when I activated my visual jutsu and stared at the cave, what was inside raised alarm.

Noticing the expression on my face when my eyes met the cave, Kiba asked me "Is your Byakugan working? What do you see?"

I shook my head. "No, my Byakugan is not working properly; my vision is still distorted, however, there is something within the cave that is unusual."

"What is it?" asked Shino.

"It is hard to tell, but I can see something glowing in the middle of the cave. I think it is chakra. It seems to be spreading throughout the entire cave," I said.

"Why would chakra be taking host in a cave? Where is it going?" asked Shino.

I tried to follow the flow of chakra, but my vision was blocked by the mist. "I cannot see where it is going. All I know is that it leaves the cave," I said.

"I guess that means we'll have to go in for a closer look," said Kiba.

"There are five people outside of the cave and who knows how many are inside. We can't just walk up to them and expect to win the fight," said Shino.

"I know that," said Kiba. "That's why we need a distraction."

"What kind of distraction?" I asked.

"This kind," said Kiba as he pulled a flash bomb out his ninja tool pouch. Often used by the Nara clan to enhance their Shadow Possession jutsu technique, flash bombs emit a powerful light that blinds their target. It is a great distraction tool, however, when the bombs goes off, it also creates a noise. Since there might also be people inside of the cave, they might hear the bomb, and when they do, we could be in trouble.

"Do you know how to use that thing?" Shino asked doubtfully.

"Of course I know how to use it!" snapped Kiba as he tied the flash bomb onto one of his kunai knife's handle. "I asked Shikamaru how to use it before he gave it to me."

Kiba threw the knife at the enemies' feet, causing the guards to stare at it for a moment to soak in what it was and where it came from. Then, just when one of the men discovered what it was, the bomb blew up, creating a blinding white light around them. When the light died out, some of the guards where on the floor covering their eyes while the others were wandering around aimlessly in hopes of having their temporarily lost vision return to them. They all moaned in pain, which raised the hair on the back of my neck. I may be a kunoichi, but I do not enjoy causing pain.

Just before we moved in to take down the blind guards, Kiba shot Shino a smug smirk to which Shino sucked on his teeth.

Quickly and silently, we rendered the guards unconscious, and we surveyed the perimeter in case there were any other guards remaining. Noticing that there weren't anymore, we stood at the entrance to the cave, expecting some more guards to come rushing out of the cave to fight us. When we realized that no one was coming, Shino asked me "Now that we're up close, can you see anything, Hinata?"

I used my Byakugan again to see if I could find anyone within the cave but to no avail. I shook my head in response to Shino.

"Damn," said Kiba. "I know that my nose isn't one-hundred percent, but Akamaru and I will stay out here in case anyone else decides to show up. You two can go in the cave to find Arata. If you need any help, just scream like a little girl and I'll hear you."

Shino ignored Kiba's advice since he knew that his words were particularly directed at him.

"Be careful, Kiba," I said.

He smiled. "You too. If Arata is in there, he had to have heard us. With that mysterious weapon he has, we don't know what kind of tricks he has up his sleeves."

Carefully, Shino entered the Three-Head's Prison with me following close behind him. It was dark with very few torches mounted on the walls to guide our way down into the heart of the cave. The journey to our destination wasn't a long one. All we had to do was round a few corners to reach the center of the Three-Head's Prison. When we got there, Shino and I saw what my Byakugan picked up in the mist.

At the center of the Three-Head's Prison was a large golden floating sphere with an eight-pointed star-like symbol at its core emitting energy into the air. The energy flowed all around the cave and it travelled towards the entrance, though it didn't quite exit. With my Byakugan, I thought that it was chakra. Now that I am looking at it up close, it is clear that whatever energy the sphere is producing is not chakra. I have never seen anything like it throughout my career as a shinobi, making me unsure how to approach this.

"What is this?" I asked myself more so than anyone else.

In an attempt to find out what the object was, Shino reached out to touch the floating sphere. When his fingertips met the sphere, it pulsated, just for a moment, and then it repelled Shino backwards with such an intense force that his body bounced off the ground and tumbled violently until the wall caught him. He then laid there – still.

Panic taking over me, I rushed by his side to try to locate any indication of life. Pressing my fingers to his neck, relief washed away my panic when I discovered his pulse. He might have a few broken bones, but at least he was alive.

"I did not think that anyone would be dumb enough to touch the energy vessel."

My body whipped around in the direction of the new voice heard from within the Three-Head's Prison and I automatically went into my fighting stance – the Gentle Fist. I thought about activating my Byakugan, but I knew that I would be able to see my opponent better if I did not use my visual jutsu.

"Show yourself," I demanded.

From the darkness stepped Lord Arata Sakuraba, and in his hand was a weapon that I had never seen before. I soon deducted that it must be the strange weapon that Chief Enzo mentioned. If the weapon is as powerful as Chief Enzo had said, then I must be cautious. I cannot afford to die here.

"Hinata Hyuga," said Lord Arata as he stepped in front of the energy vessel. "You're the heir to the Hyuga throne, are you not? Coming out here was a grave mistake. You will die before you even know what it tastes like to be the leader of your clan."

I ignored his villainous declaration. I told Lord Arata "You do not have to do this Lord Arata. I can take you back to the Leaf Village and we can tell Lord Hokage that this is all a big misunderstanding."

"Do you think that I am stupid? I am not going back to the Leaf. Not after everything you saw here, not after everything the chief told you. No, I will not go back, not until you and your teammates are dead. With all witnesses gone, I can clear my name. It would be as if none of this ever happened."

Lord Arata aimed the strange weapon at me. Now that I laid eyes on it, I had an idea as to how the weapon worked. It was large and heavy enough that Lord Arata had to hold it with both of his hands. On the handle of the weapon laid a trigger that the rouge feudal lord took care not to squeeze carelessly; his finger hovered slightly over the trigger and his eyes threatened me to squeeze it if I made any sudden movements. I was not precise on what would happen if he squeezed the trigger, but I somehow knew that whatever it was, it would project from the head of the weapon – the barrel.

There was no negotiating or convincing this man that he was making a mistake, so I inched away from Shino's body to ready myself for the power held in the weapon. Lord Arata's focus on me never faltered as I moved across the room, in fact he seemed to focus on me more. I underestimated that he was merely a lord against a trained shinobi when I decided to lunge for him to somehow remove the weapon from his hands. The moment I took a step forward, Lord Arata held down the trigger, causing the strange weapon to create a noise that I had never heard before as the barrel glowed blue. When the energy in the barrel was sufficient, Lord Arata released the trigger and out came this glowing blue light. Easily, I dodge the odd light, allowing it to collide with the wall behind me, but the effects of the light when it touched the wall shook me unlike anything I had ever faced.

At first, it did nothing, but a second later, the wall pushed inward with a force so strong that it nearly made a hole to the outside and stalagmites fell from the roof of the cave. If it could do that to a wall that trapped a giant three headed monster, what could it do to a human body?

I shook the shock off to tear my eyes from the wall to look at Lord Arata. The expression on my face made him smile in delight.

"Do you like it?" he asked, gesturing to the weapon. "It was a gift from a friend of mine. While imperfect, it still gets the job done."

He pointed it at me again and held down the trigger. As soon as I saw the barrel glow, I swiftly moved across the room to dodge the oncoming attack. It may be a powerful weapon, however, it's mass is larger than my opponent can handle; it takes him too long to try aim at me, and I learned that with each shot he fires, it takes longer for the weapon to recharge, so once I found an opening, I disarmed him much easier than I anticipated.

I told Lord Arata "It is over."

In response, he gave me a smile that sent shivers down my spine. He said "No, it is not over."

Confused by what he meant by that, I felt a presence watching me from above. I looked up in time to see a figure dive down from the roof of the cave with a dagger in his hand. Quickly tossing Lord Arata aside, I move away from my new opponent's attack. The figure's feet touched the ground and he wasted no time to recover as he continued to swipe his blade at me with the pure intent to kill. As he pursued me with his dagger, I realized who he was.

Kei Sairenji.

Anbu Black Ops are formidable opponents that are highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat and ninjutsu. I fought one before when I was a Chunin, but I wasn't alone and I was not the one who beat him – I was merely present for backup. Even though I am now a Jounin, it is uncertain whether I can defeat him or not, especially when I haven't a clue on what he is capable of.

After dodging enough of his swipes with his dagger, I found an opening and caught his hand. I disarmed Kei by twisting his arm to the point where he was forced to let go of his weapon if he wished to salvage his limb. Once he dropped his dagger, he used his other arm to throw a punch at me to which I avoided. He punched at me repeatedly until it fell into a pattern. When he noticed that I was getting used to his rhythmic punches, he suddenly roundhouse kicked me. Unlike his punches, I could not dodge this, and his kick sent me backwards.

Kei gave me no time to rest; he was back on me in seconds. Now that I had an inkling of what his fighting style was like, I took the initiative to get him off guard. As he offered me more punches, I blocked his attacks and was often able to damage him with a few palm thrusts. We fought hand-to-hand for quite some time until Kei took it upon himself to break from me the moment he knew that this was not going anywhere.

I watched tentatively as he moved away from me. At first, I had no idea as to what he was about to do, but then I saw him clasp his hands together and I sprinted towards him to stop him.

In order to perform ninjutsu, a ninja must weave hands signs together to unleash its power. This consumes chakra. The stronger the jutsu is that is about to be released, the more chakra is spent. When too much chakra is used, that person then becomes severely exhausted and must rest to replenish their strength. When a person uses all of their chakra, then that person is almost guaranteed to die. Each person wields a specific element and they can only unleash ninjutsu in that element. The most common forms of ninjutsu are fire style, water style, earth style, wind style, and lightning style. There are more styles, but those are rare and often affiliated with kekkei genkai traits. Some people can wield multiple elements, which I can only assume that Kei has. Given that he is a part of the Anbu Black Ops, he must have something special he has yet to show me.

Kei finished weaving his hand signs before I could reach him. I stopped rushing towards him when he activated his jutsu and I gritted my teeth. He performed Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Shadow Clone Jutsu is a technique that clones the host. The more clones produced, the more chakra is consumed. The clone can do anything that the original can do with a few limitations. Unlike the basic level jutsu, the Clone Jutsu, shadow clones are solid figures. The only way to cause them to disperse is if the user deactivates the jutsu, the user runs out of chakra, if the user is killed, or if the clone is faced with an impact so hard that it is forced to disappear. With two Anbu present, I do not think that I can defeat him.

Just as that thought crossed my mind, Kiba and Akamaru burst through the cave.

"Kiba," I said once my teammate ran to my side. "Where were you?"

"Sorry, more guards showed up outside of the cave," he said. When Kiba met my opponent, his eyes widened. "So, Kei Sairenji is a traitor too. I can't say that surprises me."

"Please focus, Kiba," I said.

"Right, right, sorry."

Kei and his clone rushed for me and Kiba, each gunning for either of us. His swift movements caught Kiba by surprise, but he quickly adapted to it as he dodged many of Kei's strikes. Already used to Kei's fighting techniques, I did the same.

During the fight, Kei's battle strategy raised suspicion within me. Even though he is an elite ninja, he made no effort to cause serious harm to either me or Kiba. Instead of trying to kill us, he seemed to be stalling. If that was the case, I could only guess why he would be stalling.

Realization struck me when I remembered Lord Arata. Quickly, I knocked Kei to the ground to scan the cave for the rouge feudal lord. My heart stopped when I found him.

Standing next to the energy vessel, he had the strange weapon in his hands and he was aiming it right at us.


	6. Chapter 6

The indescribable sound echoed from the weapon as it glowed brightly. It was ready to fire.

"Kiba! Move!" I called.

His eyes followed where mine were looking. I could tell that curiosity and fear took him as soon as he saw Lord Arata, but he pushed that aside to heed my advice. Akamaru stuck to Kiba as they ran out of the dangerous weapon's line of fire. I did the same, leaving the stunned Anbu Black Ops member on the ground.

Lord Arata released the trigger and I just barely escaped the range of its destruction. Unfortunately, Kei could not get to his feet in time and the power of the weapon hit him, causing his body to be pushed across the Three-Heads Prison with a force so strong that when his body collided with the wall, it splattered. The noise that it created once hitting the wall made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I suddenly became queasy. Though despite how awful the sound was, the sight of his body was much worse than the noise it made.

Blood covered the wall where his body landed along with a few chunks of what I could assume to be intestines and brain matter. The only parts that belonged to him that remained in full tact, though cracked in several places, was his bear mask, and an arm. As shinobi, we run across many situations that give us nightmares, or even scar us to a point where we need counseling. Through sheer luck, I have not run into any situations within my seven years as a shinobi such as that, however, this might be the one that will force me to seek help. And judging by Kiba's face, I can tell that it might be the same for him.

Lord Arata's cackling made me jump. Soon after that, I heard the sound from the weapon again. I knew that disarming him was not going to be enough this time – I had to find a way how to destroy it.

As I avoided the repulse from the weapon, I spotted a wire connected to the weapon from the energy vessel. Initially, I was not certain as to why it was connected to it when I realized that energy was being borrowed to allow the weapon to fire quicker without needing time to recharge. I could simply destroy the energy vessel to kill the vast supply of energy, but after what it did to Shino when he simply touched it, the results were unclear if it would have the same effect on me. I argued with myself briefly before deciding that it would be best to destroy it despite what would happen to me. Shino survived, maybe I will too.

I reached Kiba who was taking cover behind a rock and told him to distract Lord Arata so that I could break the energy vessel. While he didn't agree with it, he thought it to be the best solution for our chance to survive and arrest the corrupt feudal lord.

Our time to devise a plan was short lived since we knew that the weapon in our enemy's hands could break through almost any solid object. We dispersed just in time before Lord Arata fired his weapon once again.

Out in the open, Kiba shouted "Hey you traitorous bastard, I'm over here! Can't you see?"

Lord Arata mumbled something under his breath as he focused his attention on Kiba. My heart pounded with the knowledge of Kiba gathering all of our opponent's attention. If Kiba ended up like Kei Sairenji, I do not think that I would ever be the same. There would be no chance for me to recover from seeing him like that.

Though difficult, I pushed that thought to the back of my mind to focus on the task at hand – the energy vessel. Reaching it was the easy part, staying there undetected while trying to find out how to destroy it was not going to be as easy.

Cautiously, I reached out to touch the vessel as lightly as I could. I readied myself to retreat from the vessel in case it decided to repulse me across the cave, though when my fingertips grazed the side of it, nothing happened. I tapped the surface of the energy vessel a couple of times to be sure that it would not push me away, but nothing happened. I was baffled as to why it did not affect me. The only probable hypothesis that I could muster was that since Lord Arata was borrowing its energy, it did not have enough energy to repulse me. If that is the case, this is the only chance that I have to stop it entirely.

I rested a hand on the golden sphere. It was warm and I could feel energy radiating from it. I looked around to see if I could find a weak spot, but to no avail. I could not even figure out how it was operating, so I took it upon myself to strike the energy vessel. After my palm met the sphere, it pulsed. I back up to see what it would do, but nothing happened. That was when Lord Arata gained knowledge on me tampering with the energy vessel.

The rouge feudal lord turned to me, releasing the trigger as he did so. I moved just in time and the power of the weapon hit the wall. At that moment, when our opponent's attention was on me, Akamaru ran up to Lord Arata, biting him on the leg. Lord Arata screamed in pain and since he was not trained as a ninja would to keep composure while being attacked, he dropped his weapon and fell to the ground. He scurried away from Akamaru in hopes to escape only to run into Kiba.

Smiling, Kiba pulled Lord Arata up from the ground and rendered him unconscious.

"That was difficult," said Kiba. His face then twisted into confusion. "Where's Shino?"

"He touched the energy vessel and it incapacitated him. He is laying over there," I told Kiba after pointed him in Shino's direction.

Though they argue more than anyone that I know, Kiba cares for Shino like a brother. He frantically rushed to Shino's side, propping him up against the wall. He shook him a bit and called out his name. Miraculously, he came to and Kiba and I released a sigh of relief.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

Weakly, he nodded his head. Shino told us "The energy vessel sapped almost all of my chakra. Don't go near it."

"We're done here anyway," said Kiba. "We can take Arata and go back to the village so you can rest. Tomorrow at dawn we'll make our way back to the Leaf."

"Not yet," I said. "We have to destroy the energy vessel."

"We can't," said Shino. "It will take your chakra. I was lucky to survive. You might not be, Hinata."

"What if one of the villagers wander into the cave and touch the energy vessel? We would be responsible for not eliminating the issue. Do you know how many people could die from it?" I said.

Kiba's mouth tightened. "I agree. We can't let anyone die, nor can we let someone stumble upon it and recreate the same weapon that Arata used. We have to destroy it."

I faced the weapon, ready to destroy it when Kiba grabbed my arm.

"I didn't say that _you_ were going to be the one to break it," said Kiba. "You can't die here. You have to lead your clan."

"I know that, but I have to try," I said. "I touched it and it did not affect me. If anyone can destroy it, it has to be me."

It was a gamble, but I knew that I had to try. Thinking back to the theory I had when Lord Arata was borrowing the energy from the sphere, I realized that the energy radiating from it never decreased when he shot at Kiba. Whatever the sphere is made of, I think that it is safe to assume that I am immune to it.

"Hinata," said Kiba with pleading eyes.

I smiled to reassure him. "I will be alright."

He let go of my arm to allow me to approach the energy vessel. I felt my teammates' eyes on me as I inspected the golden sphere. There was no sign of a way to turn it off; the only thing that I could think of to permanently shut it down was to physically destroy it, so I tried attacking it with a few palm thrusts. It pulsed a few times, but it was not enough to break it, let alone disable it. I decided to try something stronger.

Generation after generation, the Hyuga clan passed down jutsu that only members of the Hyuga clan can learn. When my father tried training me to become the leader of the clan, he tried to teach me those techniques, but since I was untalented and weak, I was unable to learn what he wished to offer to me. No matter how much I practiced, I made no progress. When I finally accepted that I would not be able to learn those techniques when my father wanted me learn them, I created a jutsu that convinced my father not give up on me. I called it Gentle Step: Twin Lion Fists.

It is difficult to perform successfully since it requires precise chakra control and the slightest mistake will cause it to lead to failure, meaning that even though I could not see well with my Byakugan, I was forced to activate it to better control my chakra.

I concentrated chakra to my hands, morphing its original wild form into the shape of lion heads. Not only do the heads cause significant damage to a person, it also drains a plentiful amount of chakra with each strike distributed. I was hoping that the strength from this technique would be enough to break the energy vessel.

I rushed towards the energy vessel, concentrated chakra to my feet so that I could jump high enough to hover above the sphere, and then, when I was in position, I dived down fists first at the top of the sphere. Cracks formed at the top of it and they spread throughout the energy vessel until it reached the bottom. Moments after I landed on the ground, the sphere broke, and instead of it breaking into pieces, it disseminated into golden dust, spreading throughout the cave.

I noticed as soon as the object was destroyed that my Byakugan was now fully functioning. I had never known anything to impair the Byakugan unless it was genjutsu, a jutsu that creates illusions, like the mist shrouding the Village Hidden Among Dreams and the Forest of Mythical Beasts. When Lord Arata is returned to the Leaf Village, I must ask Ibiki Morino, the interrogator and warden of the maximum-security prison, to question him about the energy vessel. Knowing that there is an object present that can disable something as powerful as my Byakugan is frightening.

"That was amazing," said Kiba as he ran up to me. "Are you okay?"

I nodded my head. "Yes, I am fine."

Kiba breathed a sigh of relief for the second time today. "Good, good. Now we need to get back to the Village Hidden Among Dreams."

"W-Wait," I said. I picked up the now useless weapon that Lord Arata dropped. "We should give this to Tenten to examine. Maybe she can find out how it works."

Tenten is a Jounin like us that specializes in ninja tools. She can name and use any weapon you can think of, but I doubt that she has ever seen this before.

"Good idea, Hinata. You carry that in your knapsack while I carry this," said Kiba as he tied up Lord Arata and slung him over his shoulder. "Can you walk, Shino?"

Though unsteady, Shino stood up on his feet. The village was not far from this location, but Shino could not make it that far without support, so I placed one hand on Shino's lower back while I held his hand with my other. It took some time, but we made it back to the village without incident.

We took turns watching Lord Arata at the inn and as soon as day broke, we ventured out back to the Hidden Leaf Village. With an extra person travelling with us that is not an agile shinobi, the trip home was slightly longer than it would have been without him present. By the time we found our way through the Forest of Mythical Beasts, it was sunset. We had no choice but to set up camp.

Again, we took turns watching our surroundings for threats and to make sure that our corrupt feudal lord did not escape. Since Shino needed the rest because his chakra levels were severely low, Kiba and I were left to keep watch. He looked out first and then it was my turn. Before Kiba turned in for the night, he told me that Lord Arata remained quiet and did not seem the slightest bit interested in what Kiba had to offer despite how much Kiba pressed him for answers, yet when it came my turn to keep an eye on Lord Arata, the corrupt feudal lord felt as though he was in a position where could try to persuade me to see eye-to-eye.

Tied up against a tree opposite of me, Lord Arata said "I am a lord and you are a lady. As people of equal nobility, you must understand why I tried to remove Lord Hokage from his chair."

"We do not know why you did any of this to begin with," I said, "and nobility has no correlation pertaining to our points of view on who belongs in the Hokage chair."

"Sure it does! As people born into nobility, we have influence and power that no one else has in the village. Kakashi was a street rat before he climbed the ranks and somehow made Hokage. Little does he know how the system works. A street rat has no business sitting in that chair."

"Lord Hokage is the leader of our village because he showed great strength and leadership when we needed it most. He has proved to not only the Leaf Village, but the other great nations as well that he is suited for this position. He has earned it. Titles such as nobility has nothing to do with it."

"It has everything to do with it," he said.

"No, it does not. You will see for yourself how much titles matter when you go to prison."

Lord Arata's body stiffened. "Prison… Are they going to interrogate me?"

"You will be interrogated by Ibiki Morino himself," I said.

Ibiki Morino's reputation goes global as the most terrifying man to be locked in a room with. To be certain that he has gathered all of the information he needs, he tortures the person that he is questioning. Little know how he tortures them, but it is safe to say without wavering that the acts he performs upon them are unspeakable and have no limits, so when Lord Arata heard his name leave my lips, his skin turned ghostly pale. He then decided to make a deal with me.

"If I tell you who I am working for, will I still have to meet with Ibiki?" he asked me.

"We already know who you are working for. It's Yuji Fuma," I said.

He shook his head. "No, I am not working for Yuji Fuma, though I was working _with_ him for a short time before I reached the Village Hidden Among Dreams. The person who hired us is not a street rat like Yuji."

"Before you reached the Village Hidden Among Dreams? That means you really did destroy the small village not far from the Leaf! Where is Yuji Fuma now?"

"We went our separate ways after we destroyed the village. I don't know where he is now."

"Then, who are you working for?" I asked.

A smirk formed on Lord Arata's face. "If you want to know that, then you need to make sure that Ibiki Morino is not going to be the man to interrogate me."

"That is not my call," I said.

"Shame," he said. "I guess that you will never know who is was that hired me."

I smirked. "We will find out, Lord Arata. Ibiki will simply ask you."

Lord Arata frowned. "Okay, I will tell you. Like I said, the person who hired us is not a street rat. He-"

My blood ran cold as I heard a familiar noise from behind me. Though faint, I knew indefinitely that it was the same sound as the weapon that Lord Arata used.

I quickly sprang to my feet, activating my visual jutsu to locate who was about to attack us. With a swift scan of the area, I could say with certainty that no one was there, but the noise of the weapon and the rustling leaves told me otherwise. Just as I was about to move towards the source of the sound, the noises stopped.

I glanced back at Lord Arata whose eyes were wide with fear. He said to me "Untie me."

"No, you are not going anywhere," I said.

"They are here to kill me. Please, untie me!"

"No one is here."

"You cannot see them with your Byakugan because they aren't human, but they are out there watching us. Untie me before it's too late!"

"I will not let anything happen to you. Rest assure, you are-"

The Byakugan can allow the user to see their surrounds in a three-hundred-sixty-degree angle, so even though I am facing Lord Arata, I can also see behind me. As I was speaking to calm Lord Arata, I saw the glowing blue light closing in from the distance, however, I reacted too late and the light passed me by, hitting its target. The corrupt feudal lord's face exploded, covering me in its remains. Horrified, I stood there looking down at a now headless man.


	7. Chapter 7

"He was murdered under your watch," said Lord Hokage. "I needed you to bring him back alive. How are we going to find Yuji Fuma now?"

I bowed to our leader. "I take all of the responsibility, Lord Hokage. He was under my watch at the time of the incident. I saw the attack coming, and I could not stop it. I will accept any punishment you have to offer."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, take it easy Hinata. There won't be any punishment," said Lord Hokage. "You are all responsible for this, but given that Lord Arata is dead, I don't have a way to find Yuji."

"Not necessarily," said Shino.

"Who do you think we are? Did you expect us to come back empty handed?" said Kiba. From his knapsack, Kiba pulled out the letters Lord Arata traded with Yuji Fuma and put them on Lord Hokage's desk. "You personally asked us to complete this mission for a reason."

Lord Hokage sifted through the letters and sense of relief washed over his face. The relief was then taken by a hard expression as he told Kiba, our team leader, "I want you to write a detailed report starting from what we discussed here before you set out on the mission up to what just took place here in my office. Understood?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I got it. Don't worry about it Kakashi sensei. I'll have it on your desk tomorrow morning," responded Kiba.

"Good, then that means you are all dismissed," said Lord Hokage. As we proceeded to exit his office, Lord Hokage called out to me "Great job on your last mission, Hinata. I'll see you later at the party."

I acknowledged his praise with a small smile.

Outside of the Hokage manor, Kiba told me "I'm going to drop Shino off at the hospital to get checked out before I go home to write the report. It's going to take time to get everything I need in the report, so I might end up coming late to the party."

"That is alright. The report is more important than a party," I said.

Kiba smiled. "When you put it like that, yeah, but the report isn't more important than you, which is what the party is revolving around. I'll try to be there, I promise."

I smiled fondly. "I know Kiba."

"I'm going to miss going on missions with you," he said as he wrapped his arms around me. "It won't be the same without you around."

Akamaru barked in agreement.

"I am going to miss it too," I said as I tightened the hug. "I will be busier than I have ever been as leader of my clan, but my door is always open for you."

"Can you bake a cake when I come over?" he asked.

"Of course, Kiba."

"Good, good," he said.

At the sound of Shino clearing his throat, Kiba and I broke apart. Shino said "It's nice to know that you forgot about me again."

"You know that's not true. Hinata and I are having a moment. Feel free to join in," said Kiba.

Shino stopped sulking to approach me. "Hugging isn't my thing. I'll just give you something instead." From his pocket, Shino pulled out a small white box. "At the Village Hidden Among Dreams I saw this at one of the shops and thought of you. Take it."

I took the box from his hand and opened it. Inside of it was a Hyuga insignia accessory for kunai knives.

"I know you won't use it, but I thought that you should have it anyway," said Shino.

I smiled at him. "Thank you, Shino. I love it."

Kiba playfully punched Shino on the arm and said "Before Hinata starts getting choked up and cries all over the place, we should go to the hospital. We all have things to take care of before the party later."

Shino nodded his head in agreement.

I waved my teammates goodbye as they walked in the direction of the hospital. There was plenty of time before the event started so I took this as an opportunity to meet with Tenten.

Tenten is a brown haired, brown eyed girl that is about a year older than me. We know each other through my deceased cousin, Neji, who was once her teammate. During the Fourth Great Ninja War, I saw an unavoidable attack closing in on Naruto so I jumped in front of him, prepared to give my life for his. As I anticipated the attack to impale me, Neji threw himself in the attack's line of fire, killing him. The last Tenten and I spoke was at Neji's funeral two years ago.

Even though we do not speak to one another, I knew exactly where she would be – the ninja tool shop.

I walked into her shop near the eastern gate of the village. When the bell rang, she sprang up from behind the counter ready to greet the person who came through the door. When her eyes fell on me, they widened.

"Lady Hinata," she said almost breathlessly. "I'm surprised to see you here. Can I help you find something?"

"No, I do not need weapons," I said.

She hopped off her stool but remained behind the counter as if she was afraid to approach me. "Oh? Then what are you here for?"

I pulled the strange weapon out of my knapsack, displaying it in my hands. "I need your help with this."

Her eyes widened in wonder as curiosity consumed her. Suddenly, she was no longer hesitant to approach me as she rushed towards the weapon in my hands. She glided her fingers across the foreign material and asked me "What is this? It's beautiful!"

"I do not know. I came here hoping that you could find out," I said.

As I told her what it could do, she became more intrigued. Once I finished telling her what I know, she closed down the shop immediately and escorted me to the second floor of the shop – her apartment. I had never been inside of her apartment, but I knew what I would discover behind the door leading into her home.

She opened her door and invited me inside. Just before I stepped in, she told me "Watch where you step. I wasn't expecting company so it's pretty messy in here."

On the floor laid a bunch of sharp ninja tools just as I suspected.

It is common courtesy to take off your shoes when entering someone's home, but in this environment, I could not bring myself to do it. Instead, I stood at her door, weapon in hand.

"Aren't you coming in?" she asked as she took off her shoes.

"Tenten, there are knives, swords, and sickles covering your apartment. You cannot expect me to remove my shoes and walk around on this floor. It is unsafe."

She looked around, scratching her head. "I guess you're right. Give me a second to put them away." Tenten grabbed a few scrolls from the drawer in her kitchen and returned to the front door. She whipped open the scrolls, placing them on the floor around her, and she sat down at the center of them. The open scrolls were blank, but as she placed her hand on the paper, the paper filled with some formulae that I did not quite understand. As the scrolls filled with the formulae, the weapons began to disappear in a puff of smoke. When all of the weapons were gone, she sealed the scrolls by placing a symbol at the very center of the paper, and put them back in her kitchen drawer.

Tenten is a kunoichi that specializes in Teleportation Ninjutsu, a form of ninjutsu that can warp a target through a dimensional void and teleport it to another location instantaneously; in which case, the weapons on the floor are the items from another dimension. How Tenten sealed the weapons in the scrolls is called Sealing Technique. It is a technique that locks living beings, weapons, chakra, and a wide variety of other things inside another object. It can also be used to restrict movement and to unseal an object from within something or someone.

"There we go, all better," she said. "Now, please, come in."

I took off my shoes, placing them next to the door. I then followed Tenten into the kitchen area where I put the weapon on her table.

"Have you tried using the weapon yourself?" she asked me.

I shook my head. "No. After witnessing what it could do, my team and I thought that it was too risky to try out."

"Hm… Well, I have to admit, Lady Hinata, it's difficult to try figure out how it works just by staring at it. I'll have to give it a few test runs."

"Can you just take it apart and go from there? It is too dangerous to use, Tenten."

"Sorry, using it is how I'm going to figure it out. I won't use the Training Field. I'll go somewhere outside of the village."

I pinched the bridge of my nose knowing that she was right. "Alright, fine. Just be careful."

She smiled fondly at me. "You look a lot like Neji when you do that."

"Do what?"

"When you pinched your nose. He used to do that a lot whenever Lee did something stupid."

Rock Lee, or Lee, is a part of Tenten's team. He is unable to use ninjutsu, so he trained himself incredulously over the years to master taijutsu, the art of hand-to-hand combat. He and Neji were rivals growing up and that fueled Lee to push himself to beat him, but he never did. When Neji died, Lee was devastated. Lee did not just lose his rival, he also lost his best friend.

"I'm sorry, Lady Hinata," said Tenten. "Neji had told me once that if he were to die sooner than any of us had expected, he wanted me to look out for you as he once did. I had planned to act out his wishes, but when I saw you at the funeral, when I saw how heartbroken you were, I chickened out. There was no way that I could fill Neji's shoes. You didn't need me. You would never need me. When time did its job, and you healed, I still couldn't bring myself to talk to you. I felt ashamed. I know that we've never been close, we only spoke when Neji was present, but now that he's gone, I would like to grow closer to you." Tenten's eyes began to water and her hands started shaking as she fidgeted with her fingers. "H-He's gone, and I only have the m-memories we s-shared, s-so I was hoping that we could get together sometime a-and, you know, talk about all of the good times we had w-with him. Y-You could tell me things that he didn't want me to know, and I could d-do the same…"

Tenten then began to cry. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around her as I pulled her head against my chest. I told her "Yes, we can do that, Tenten. If this was bothering you so much, you should have reached out to me sooner. As you said, we are not close, however, you know that I am not the kind of person to turn away from someone in need."

"I'm s-sorry," she said. "I wanted to, I r-really wanted to, but it was hard. I didn't want to disappoint you."

"Disappoint me? That is not possible," I said. When she stopped crying, she pulled away. "I miss him too, Tenten."

She smiled at me as she wiped away stray tears. "I loved him, you know. I was in love with Neji and I never had the chance to tell him. I was going to tell him before the war, but I got scared. That is my biggest regret. He left too soon and I was too cowardly to say anything." She laughed to herself. "He'd probably reject me anyway. He'd probably make light of the situation and shift the subject just like he used to. What do you think? Does that sound like Neji?"

I offered her a sympathetic smile. "No, he would not do that. He told me one night, a few nights before the war, that he was in love with you and was going to tell you once we won… He never received the opportunity."

Tenten's eyes widened. "He… He did?"

I nodded my head. "He loved you for a long time, Tenten. He might have loved you longer than you loved him."

Tears weld up in her eyes again, but instead of sobbing, she smiled. "That makes me happy to know that. Thank you for telling me, Lady Hinata."

A few moments of silence passed between us as the atmosphere shifted. I asked Tenten "Are you coming to the party later? I would love to have you."

"Y-Yes! I will be there." She then looked at the clock on the wall above the refrigerator. "You just got back from your last mission, right? Shouldn't you go home to shower and change?"

"Yes, but…"

Tenten followed my gaze to the weapon on the table. She said "Don't worry. I can handle this. Go, go get ready. I'll meet you there at the party."

"Thank you, Tenten," I said.

I put my shoes on at the front door and Tenten followed me downstairs into the shop. As I was heading out of the door, she said to me "Congratulations on becoming the leader of your clan."

"Thank you," I said.

I went home immediately to shower and to put on clean clothes. By the time I finished preparing, I figured that it was time to meet everyone at the Yakiniku Q. When I arrived at my destination, the restaurant was filled with my friends from the Academy and my former teachers, including the Hokage. As soon as I walked through the doors, my friends warmly greeted me.

Sakura approached me, arms ready to wrap around me. I accepted her hug and soon as we let go, Ino ambushed me with a tight squeeze. It was unexpected, but very characteristic of her.

Ino Yamanaka is a woman who is a part of team ten and, just like the majority of my friends in this room, she graduated from the Academy at the same time that I did so that means we are the same age. She specializes in Mind Transfer Jutsu, a technique passed down through generations of her clan that allows the user to borrow the body of their target and read their thoughts. Not only is Ino a gifted kunoichi, she is also the beauty of the Leaf, causing many men to pursue her and many women to envy her. Though Ino is a good friend of mine, I can understand why she is envied. With her incredibly long blonde hair and icy blue eyes, she can catch any man's attention, including the man that rejected me.

"I can't believe you're retiring, Hinata," said Ino once she released me from her hold.

"Yes, I can hardly believe it either," I said. "Thank you both for throwing this party for me. I really appreciate it."

"It's not a problem, Hinata. Anything for you," said Sakura.

"Yeah, what she said," agreed Ino. "Though, I wish that you would have let us throw a surprise party instead. If you know about it, it takes the fun and mystery out of it."

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows. "She doesn't like surprises, Ino."

"Don't you think I know that, Sakura?" responded Ino.

Sakura and Ino have been best friends since the age of eight, the age that one is eligible to enroll at the Academy. They were close until they met Sasuke Uchiha, the object of every girl's desire. From that moment on, they became rivals, competing for Sasuke's affection. This rivalry eventually came to an end seven years later when Ino developed a crush on Sai, a man that took Sasuke's place on team seven after he left the village. Sai has skin as white as paper and ninjutsu that allows his art to come to life to defeat his foes.

"Even if you did throw a surprise party, I would appreciate it just as much," I said.

A smug smile formed on Ino face as she crossed her arms. "See Sakura? You should listen to me more often. Next time we put something together, we're going with my plan."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You seem to forget that you aren't right all of the time."

"No, I'm not right all of the time. I'm right _most_ of the time," said Ino.

As they entered a heated debate regarding who is typically correct, I took the opportunity to slip away to greet the rest of the people in the restaurant, running into Lord Hokage speaking to Shikamaru Nara and Kurenai Yuhi. Lord Hokage said something that made Kurenai sensei giggle and caused Shikamaru to huff.

Kurenai Yuhi was team eight's former instructor. She stopped guiding us three years ago when she became pregnant with Asuma Sarutobi's child, the deceased instructor of team ten and son of the Third Hokage. Before she retired, she was greatly known for her talents in genjutsu, earning the name of the Leaf's greatest genjutsu wielder.

"Hinata," said Kurenai sensei when she saw me approaching. "How are you?"

I smiled at her. "I am doing fine, Kurenai sensei. How are you? How is your daughter?"

"I'm doing well and so is Mirai. She is growing every day," said Kurenai sensei with a warming smile.

"Growing every day is another way of saying that she's becoming more of a pain," said Shikamaru.

Though he is notoriously lazy and does not enjoy partaking in hard work, Shikamaru is a member of team ten with an IQ of two-hundred and the chief coordinator of the Shinobi Union, an allied force affiliated with shinobi from the five great nations and the Land of Iron. He and Asuma sensei were close when he was alive, so when he died, Shikamaru took it upon himself to assist Kurenai sensei with Mirai, promising to train her when she comes of age.

"You do not mean that," I said.

"Yes, I do," he insisted. "She gets into everything. Babysitting her is more troublesome than an S-rank mission."

"That's what kids do, Shikamaru. When you have children of your own one day, you'll understand," said Lord Hokage.

"I won't be having kids, not after the experience I had watching Mirai," said Shikamaru.

"It cannot be all that bad," I said.

Shikamaru shook his head. "I have the pleasure of having the choice to not breed. You, however, Hinata, I feel sorry for you. Since you're going to be the leader of the Hyuga clan, you have no choice but to have children. Once you do, you'll know just how difficult it is to deal with them and your life will change forever."

I gave him a crooked smile. I do not have children of my own and I have never watched Mirai so I could not argue with him. The certainty in his words placed fear in me. I have always known that I must produce an heir for my clan to keep my throne, but I never prepared myself for the reality of that factor.

"Don't worry, Hinata. You'll be fine. I can't imagine that you will have to bear any children for a few more years yet," said Kurenai sensei after she read my facial expression.

"Shikamaru is a lazy brood that doesn't like the slightest bit of hard work. Ignore him," reassured Lord Hokage.

I laughed nervously, but I could not shake off the fear.


	8. Chapter 8

I strayed away from them once they began to discuss Shikamaru's career. I caught them say that the headquarters of the Shinobi Union was located in the Land of Iron, but I heard no more than that. Once I parted ways from them, I spotted Sai and Choji Akamichi sitting at one of the tables eating and I decided to approach them.

Choji Akamichi is part of team ten. He is large for a ninja so people often underestimate him, but truthfully, he is a force to be reckoned with. As a member of the Akamichi clan, a family filled with heavy people, Choji can expand his body to crush enemies and move monstrous sized objects. This requires energy which he replenishes by consuming incredulous amounts of food. Choji is fully aware that he is larger than most shinobi, but is very sensitive to being referred to as "fat". If one lets that word slip, that person should not expect to emerge from Choji's wrath unscathed.

"Oh, Lady Hinata, join us," said Sai. He scooted over on the cushioned bench to allow me to sit beside him.

This act of kindness surprised me, but I took his offer and sat next to him.

Though he is the same age as me and everyone else from teams seven, eight, and ten, Sai did not attend the Academy with us. Orphaned as a child, Sai was found by a corrupt man named Danzo who tried to take on the role of Hokage before he met his demise at the hands of Sasuke three years ago. Danzo took Sai and raised him in an organization called Root, a secret branch of Anbu that Danzo took charge of. There, Sai was forced to give up his personality, emotions, and any personal relationships outside of Root. Once he left Root and joined team seven, Sakura and Naruto taught him how to connect with other people again, though he often makes mistakes by expressing brutal honesty to others. So, when Sai offered me a seat beside him, it shocked me.

"Congratulations, Hinata," said Choji as he pulled cooked meat off the grill at the center of the table.

"Thank you," I said.

"I'm sure you're tired of hearing that, huh?" said Sai with a smile. "After all, you're who everyone is talking about right now."

"I-I am?" I said. I had been so busy with missions and learning the necessary skills from my father to lead my clan that I had not bothered to stop into town. Hearing this from Sai surprised me. I am never the talk of the town.

Sai nodded his head. "No matter where I go, the only thing I hear from people is your name, something to do with your clan, or something about this man named Toneri that you're supposed to be marrying. Within the three years I've known you, I never would have imagined that you'd become so popular. Up until recently, you were a person that was easily forgotten."

"I-I see…" I said with a wry smile. Though true, it was still harsh.

"You couldn't have put that a little nicer?" said Choji with his mouth full of pork. He then swallowed it and asked me "What's Toneri like? If he isn't good to you, you know that we'll all be coming after him."

"The wedding has been called off, actually," I said. "My father and I mutually decided that I do not need a husband to claim the throne."

"Good for you. Ino has been complaining for the past two weeks about how you don't need an arrangement," said Choji.

"It's been canceled again?" asked Sai.

"Again?" I asked. "This is the first time, Sai."

Sai shook his head and wore an expression that told me he was more than confused. He said "That is not what I heard."

"What did you hear?" I asked.

"I heard that you were getting married for weeks and then when you left on your mission, I heard someone say the wedding's been canceled. A day after that, someone said the wedding is back on," said Sai.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Are you sure that is what you heard?"

"It doesn't matter what he heard," said Choji. "The villagers in the Leaf have nothing better to do than gossip. If a person hears the same thing for days on end, someone is going to end up changing the story. Whatever you heard, Sai, isn't true."

"I suppose you're right," said Sai. "Ino informed me in very vivid detail about how the world of gossip works. Your explanation sounds logical enough to disregard the chatter in the village." Sai turned to me. "Please ignore what I said, Lady Hinata. It is clear that what I overheard is not true."

Choji stuffed a piece of pork in his mouth and said "What better source to get information from than the person who is involved in this situation herself?"

I shook my head. "Who did you hear say that the wedding is back on?"

Sai shrugged his shoulders. "Some old woman shopping in the market."

"Just an ordinary old woman?" I asked. I felt my heart pounding against my chest from fear at the mere thought of this being true.

Sai glanced at Choji and then back at me. "Yes, Lady Hinata, just an ordinary old woman."

"What are you worrying for?" asked Choji. "Like I said, people in this village have nothing better to do than to gossip. Whatever that lady said isn't true. Ask Ino. She'll back me up on this."

I left the table to find Ino who was still talking to Sakura. Instead of staying by the front door, they migrated to the bar and as I got closer I noticed that Tenten was now with them. Regardless of her presence, I asked Ino "What are the chances of a rumor to be true?"

"Random question," said Ino. "You aren't the random type, so that tells me you heard something from someone."

"Sai told me that he heard someone say that the wedding is back on," I said.

Sakura stood up from her seat. "What?"

Ino threw an arm around my shoulders. "Worry not. Eighty-nine percent of the time when you hear a rumor in the Hidden Leaf, it isn't true. If we were in the Hidden Mist, then that would be another story. Now, how old was this person?"

"Sai said that the person was an old woman," I said.

"Yikes," said Ino. "Old people, women in particular, are very nosy and love gossiping more than I do, and when someone loves gossiping more than me, they live, eat, and sleep rumors. Since the person Sai overheard is an old woman, that means the information she learned has a sixty-five percent chance of being true."

"That is more than half," I pointed out.

Ino nodded her head. "That might frighten you, but don't worry. Despite the statistics, a rumor is a rumor. If you want answers you'll have to ask your father."

My body broke out into a light sweat as I recalled the threat Lord Toneri issued to me a few days ago. I said "I need to go home."

"Whoa, really? The party barely got started," said Ino.

"I know that you must be worried, Hinata, but don't you think that you're overreacting a bit? It was just a rumor," said Sakura.

"I need to make sure that what Sai overheard is just that – a mere rumor," I said.

Tenten hopped down from the bar seat. "Lord Hiashi is not the type of man to keep you in the dark, especially when this rumor involves you and the Hyuga clan. If it is true, he would have told you by now that the wedding is back on."

I tighten my lips.

"We aren't here to tell you what to do. If you want to leave, you can, but just know that you probably are worrying about nothing," said Tenten.

The more I thought about it, the more they made sense. Even though Lord Toneri threatened me, if he wished to harm me, he would have to go through the entire Hyuga clan and I doubted that he had enough power to obtain what he wants through sheer force. Also, just as Tenten said, if the rumor is true, my father would have informed me by now. He knows that I have returned from my mission and he knows where I currently am, so there is no excuse as to why he would not tell me if I am to marry Lord Toneri.

Once I exhaled, I said "You are probably right. I guess I am worrying over nothing."

"See? Now that's the spirit!" said Ino. "Now, why don't we- Oh my god…"

All of our attention trained to where Ino was looking. When I saw what she saw, my heart stopped immediately. Naruto Uzumaki walked through the front door with Kiba and Rock Lee.

Sakura frowned and attempted to make her way towards him but I stopped her. I shook my head. "It's alright. He can be here if he wants to be."

"I asked him not to come," said Sakura.

"Clearly, he didn't listen," said Ino.

"Am I missing something?" asked Tenten.

Ino said "To sum it all up, Naruto is an idiot that doesn't deserve to be here after the crappy date he went on with Hinata. He ignored her for weeks and decided that it would be okay to show up to her party _after_ Sakura asked him not to." Ino turned to Sakura and tossed her hands in the air. "I didn't think he could he get any dumber."

"Please," I said. "This party is open to anyone who wishes to come, correct? Naruto is no exception. Please, be kind to him."

Sakura, Ino, and Tenten exchanged glances.

Ino said "I'll greet him, but that's all I'm going to do."

"I try hard to be nice to him on a regular basis," said Sakura. "If he does anything stupid, I'll let him know how messed up he was to ignore you after you gained enough confidence to finally ask him out."

"I'll play nice only because you asked me to," said Tenten.

Even though Tenten's answer was the only one that I wanted to hear, I thanked them all.

"Are you going to talk to him?" asked Ino.

"I have not come that far yet," I said.

"Well, you better decide fast because he's coming over here," said Tenten.

"What?" I said, my heart stopping for the second time tonight. I glanced behind me, learning that he was approaching us. "M-Maybe he is not coming for me?"

Ino glanced too. She then nodded her head. "Oh, yeah, he's coming this way."

"We'll be over there if you need us," Sakura told me.

"W-What? Where are you going?" I asked in a panic.

"Anywhere but here," responded Ino as they all walked off to the other side of the restaurant.

Seconds later, Naruto walked up to me, wearing a crooked smile, which was very uncharacteristic of him since he is always smiling brightly. He said to me "Hey, Hinata. Congrats on becoming the leader of your clan. I know you'll be a great one."

"T-Thank you, Naruto."

The atmosphere between us quickly became awkward and I had difficulty finding words to say. It appeared that Naruto also had trouble speaking to me as he stood there with his crooked smile still in place. Just as I thought that he was going to walk away to escape the tension, he asked me "Are you feeling nervous about leading your clan?"

"Yes, I am. Though I have been trained for it and even though the members of my clan know me well, there are still many worries that I have such as mistakes I will make or if my clansmen will accept me as the new leader," I admitted.

"That makes sense," he said. "That's what I worry about when I become the Hokage."

Ever since Naruto was a small boy, he dreamed of becoming Hokage. Given all of the effort he made in name of the village and all of the allies he made from the great nations, he is likely to succeed the Sixth Hokage, Kakashi Hatake, and become the Seventh Hokage. He is strong-willed and confident and even though his common sense is questionable at times, I believe that he will make a great leader for our village.

I smiled kindly at him. "You will make a fantastic Hokage, Naruto. I have absolute faith in you."

A soft shade of pink coated his face as he nervously scratched his head of short blond hair. "Thanks, Hinata." He paused and then looked around the room. Behind me, his blue eyes locked onto who he was searching for. "Hey, Hinata, I gotta go. Congratulations again on your achievement."

He gave me a friendly pat on the shoulder as he brushed past me to reach the person who he was searching for – Sakura. He was pleased to see her; however, she was not as pleased to see him. When he approached her, Ino and Tenten scooted away and Sakura gave Naruto a good smack on the arm as she yelled something unintelligible at him. He rubbed his arm and appeared to be apologizing profusely, and despite how harshly she was chastising him, I saw something in Naruto's eyes that made my heart ache.

I saw love.

The reflection in Naruto's eyes mirrored mine when I looked at him, but she seemed not to notice how he stared at her. In that moment, I realized that I never had a chance with him and I sadly turned away from them.

"Okay everyone. Can I get your attention?"

Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing to focus their attention on Ino who was standing on top of one of the tables.

With a charming smile, she said "Thank you all so much for coming tonight. This was not very easy to throw together since I know that most of us here have very busy lives. The fact that you made time tonight to come here shows Hinata how much you care about her." She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and looked at me. "I prepared a small speech for you. I'm going to read it but promise me that you won't cry. If you do, I will too and I won't be able to finish it."

I smiled. "I promise, Ino."

"I'll hold you to that," she said. She cleared her throat and read: "Within the ten years that I have known you, you have shown an extreme amount of growth and you still continue to grow! When I first met you at the Academy, I thought that you would be another wannabe ninja with little to show for, but you proved me wrong, and not just once – you proved me wrong countless times. You cease to amaze me and I am proud, more than proud, to call you one of my closest friends. You've served this nation, the Land of Fire, well, and I know that you will lead your clan with the utmost excellence and with more passion than the leaders before you. I wish you the best of luck on your endeavors to set your clan on the right path." Others in the room clapped as she made her way to me. When she reached me, she wrapped her arms around me and said "I love you, Hinata."

When she pulled away, I smiled at her and thanked her.

Each person in the room took turns delivering a heart-felt speech, making me do my best not to burst into tears. Everyone expressed how much they cared for me, how they wished me the best, and how they would miss working with me. Sakura was the last person to share her words with me and I listened with just as much attention as I had with everyone else.

Sakura stood on one of the tables and looked around the room. "I didn't prepare a speech so forgive me if I have trouble finding certain words to say." My pink haired friend then looked at me. "Hinata, when I first met you in the Academy I wondered how a person like you could have passed the entry exams to be enrolled. You had extensive knowledge on the basics, but you lacked skill in ninjutsu. Your presence was easily forgotten and because you had no friends, you chose to sit at the back of the classroom…" She paused. "Despite what people said about you, despite how many people doubted you, you continued to try and you never quit trying. Your efforts to become stronger was overlooked by many and you were often underestimated even by me. Honestly, I had trouble remembering your name and when I did, I questioned your worth as a kunoichi. However, during the Chunin exams, you shut me up. In fact, you shut all of us up. You saved me in the Forest of Death and even though you didn't pass the preliminary exams at the end of the forest, we all noticed how bright you shined as you fought your way through the exams. For the first time, I _saw_ you. I saw your worth."

The room was dead silent and I held back oncoming tears.

Sakura continued. "You grew stronger after the exams, challenging yourself beyond your limits and even though I was training under Lady Tsunade, one of the greatest shinobis of all time, you put me to shame. You worked hard by yourself and after we became Chunin, you and I were at the same level of strength. Knowing that I worked hard and endlessly under the tyranny of Lady Tsunade while you trained by yourself and sometimes with Neji, I couldn't help but feel jealous of you. I couldn't comprehend how we could be equals in strength, but then I realized that you never stopped training. You worked yourself day in and day out, never giving yourself a day off and that resulted in you creating multiple forms of jutsu. I mean, who does that? That hasn't happened in thirty years! I can speak for everyone in this room – no – everyone in this village that has underestimated you that you are one of the best shinobis the Hidden Leaf has to offer."

She paused, causing everyone to assume that she finished her speech, and they began to clap. It was when the crowd noticed Sakura fighting back tears that they realized she had more to say. As the clapping ceased, she then said "And can I just add that, not only are you a great kunoichi, you are also a great friend? Let's admit; I was never the nicest person. Everyone in this room can agree to that. When I showed Hinata how rude I could be, she showed me how kind she could be. When I showed Hinata how selfish I could be, she showed me how giving she could be. When I showed Hinata how cold I could be, she showed me how warm she could be. Despite all of that, despite how awful I would treat her, when I was at my lowest points, Hinata would offer me an ear or a shoulder to lean on, and because of that, she won me over. She made me a better person. Many can say that she made me who I am today, and I can concur. Hinata has made me a better person and I never thanked her for that." A tear rolled down Sakura's cheek as she looked at me. "Thank you, Hinata, for making me who I am today. You know me. I'm stubborn and I listen to the advice of very people. If you could change a person like me, you can change the Hyuga clan. I wish you good luck."

It was when the crowd erupted into claps that I noticed my face was wet with tears. Sakura approached me with open arms and I more than willingly stepped into them. She squeezed me tightly and said "I love you, Hinata. If you ever need me, I will answer your beckon call."

I squeezed back. "Thank you, Sakura."

We lingered there in the other's arms for several moments until we settled our, what seemed to be, endless tears. Sakura was the first to pull back once the crying stopped to get a good look at me. She said "Yep, you most definitely are leader material."

I smiled. "I will not let you down."

"You better not," she joked. "You haven't eaten yet, right? Let's get some food. There's plenty to choose from."

Just as I was about to follow Sakura to one of the tables, I heard my name called from behind me. Turning to see who had called me, I was surprised to see my father standing at the entrance of the restaurant. I left my friend's side to meet my father who was wearing a grim expression.

"What is the matter, Father?" I asked.

"Can I speak to you in private?" he said.

Even though he asked, I knew that he was not really giving me an option, so I followed my father outside of the Yakiniku Q where Ko was standing guard. Under the night sky away from the prying eyes of my friends and teachers, I asked him again "What is the matter?"

"I am afraid that I have terrible news, my daughter," said my father.

I could only guess what he meant by that. "What do you mean?"

With haunted eyes and lips in a frown, he told me "The wedding is back on."


	9. Chapter 9

"W-What?" I asked.

"The wedding is back on," he repeated.

I felt my heart drop to the pit of my stomach and I suddenly felt faint. I knew what my father had told me, but I had difficulty making sense of it. When I finally processed what he had just told me, I asked him "H-How? Why is it back on?"

"When you left on your mission, Lord Toneri came to me at the estate, demanding to know the reason why I annulled the wedding. Once I gave him the reason, he refused to accept it and made a series of threats," he said.

"You, nor anyone else in our clan, takes lightly to threats. Surely, you attempted to escort him out?" I said.

My father nodded his head. "I had one of my guards attempt to escort him out of the estate, but once my guard grabbed Lord Toneri by the arm, he called for one of his men; this was something that I had expected, seeming as our unwanted guest was very unsatisfied with my decision to annul the wedding. However, I did not expect what Lord Toneri had in mind at the gesture."

I felt myself becoming anxious. "What did he do?"

The grim expression never left my father's face. "His guard restrained mine and held a kunai at his throat, forcing him to release Lord Toneri. Lord Toneri then resumed his series of threats and told me that he can show me what he meant by them."

"What threats did he issue to you?" I asked.

"He told me that he has the power to wipe out the Hyuga bloodline."

"What? That is not possible," I said. "Our clan is too powerful. He cannot take us out."

"He is not planning to take us out through battle, Hinata. He is planning to eliminate us with a weapon."

Disbelief took over me. "No, that is not possible."

A frown remained on my father's face as he proceeded to inform me on what took place at the estate. "I thought so as well, however, he proved my doubt otherwise. While Lord Toneri's guard restrained mine, Lord Toneri pulled out a syringe and injected its contents into our clansman. Instantaneously, his eyes began to bleed and he keeled over, dead. When Lord Toneri left, I received the opportunity to examine his body… His eyes had melted and his chakra network system had been erased."

My eyes widened. "How is that possible? Are you saying that he has the power to erase our clan from existence?"

"It seems so," said my father. "He told me that if you do not marry him, he will destroy our clan and make you watch, ending it all with Hanabi."

I immediately felt sick. "Why does he want to marry me so badly? What does he have to gain from it?"

"He never said – he told me that I would never understand. Regardless, you know that I had no choice but to call the wedding back on."

My father was correct to call the wedding back on, and even though it made me sick to even think about wedding that man, I knew that I had no choice but to accept my eminent betrothal to Lord Toneri.

"When is the wedding?" I asked.

"As soon as possible," answered my father.

"Who is attending?"

My father shook his head. "It will be just you and Lord Toneri. Your friends and family are not allowed to attend. He does not trust us to allow the wedding to proceed without casualty after what he just showed me."

I nodded in understanding. "Where is it being held?"

"In the Land of Iron."

"When should I leave?"

"Tomorrow at first light."

"Alright," I said, feeling terrifyingly numb. It was as if all of the emotion I felt earlier had been sucked out of me. "Ko? Can you please inform my friends inside that I must leave the party early? If they ask why, tell them that I have an early day tomorrow and I cannot afford to lose sleep. Knowing them, they will not believe that story in its entirety so also tell them not to worry."

He bowed to me and said "Yes, Lady Hinata," before heading inside of the restaurant. It was not his place to share his opinion with my father present, but I could tell that Ko was more than unhappy hearing the news of my inevitable betrothal to a monster.

My father placed a firm hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes. He said "This displeases me more than you will ever know. Can you understand why I had to give in to Lord Toneri's demand?"

"Yes, Father, I understand. Do not worry. I will fulfill my duty and protect our clan," I said. "The wedding will commence as soon as I arrive at the Land of Iron."

Brows furrowed, my father said "Come. Let us return home so that you can prepare for the long journey tomorrow."

There are five great nations, or countries, on our planet that are led by feudal lords with Kage as their figure head. These countries are the Land of Fire, Land of Wind, Land of Water, Land of Earth, and Land of Lightning. Each are known notoriously throughout the shinobi world due to their large size and militia strength, but there are other countries, smaller countries, that many seem to overlook. The Land of Iron is one of them. It is a small neutral country on the mountains just past the Land of Earth that is covered in snow. Instead of shinobi running and protecting their country like all of the other countries, it is samurai. The Land of Iron was easily forgotten, and I had never heard of it, until they joined our battle in the Fourth Great Ninja War two years ago.

To reach the Land of Iron from the Land of Fire, it takes about a week on foot if one takes very few breaks and is sprinting the entire way. In my specific situation, when I returned home, Lord Toneri left a carriage and four of his guards to escort me in the morning. Travelling by carriage from the Land of Fire to the Land of Iron will take about three week's time, making it very difficult to pack the items necessary for such a long journey. In my room, it took me approximately two hours to gather what I needed for the trip. When I finally finished packing, I then realized that I did not have an outfit for the wedding ceremony, and I searched my closet for anything formal enough to wear but to no avail. It was at that moment when I felt myself entering a panic that I heard a soft knock at my door.

I recognized the knocking, opening the door to find who I suspected to be on the other side – Hanabi. Her shoulders were slouched and her head hung low with her long brown hair covering her face. Her mouth took the form of a frown and her brows were furrowed, making her look strikingly similar to our father.

Just as I opened my mouth to invite her in, her head shot up and her white eyes burned with anger. She shouted "It's not fair!" as she invited herself into my room.

I closed the door behind her. "I assume that you heard, Hanabi?"

"Of course I heard! Word of what happened spread all over the estate like wild fire. It isn't fair," she said once again.

I exhaled. "Nothing about this is fair, but I still have to do it. I need to protect our clan, I need to protect you. If I do not marry Lord Toneri then our clan will be eradicated."

"I know! It's just that…" she trailed off, her voice reducing to a whisper.

I put my hand on her shoulder, offering her a genuine smile as I did so. "Everything will be fine. I can assure you, Hanabi. I will protect you."

She stared at me for several moments with hope in her eyes, but in a split second that hope turned to ash and anger took over. She smacked my hand off her shoulder and said "I don't care about that! You don't need to protect me, Hinata! I've trained just as hard as you; I can protect myself and our clan if I wanted to. If you just refused that bastard's ultimatum, then you could see how strong I've become and we could come up with a plan to take him out before he does."

I shook my head. "I have no doubts in your strength, but there is no time and we cannot take that risk. I need to do this and I need to do this now."

Frowning, Hanabi stared at me with hate filled eyes. She stared for what seemed like hours, trying to convince me to change my mind but I did not back down as I continued to meet her gaze. Eventually, her eyes softened and she released a heavy breath. Whatever she saw in my eyes persuaded her to think otherwise, causing Hanabi look towards the floor in defeat.

She said "I don't want to lose you, Hinata. There's no telling what Toneri will do to you after he marries you."

"And I do not want to lose you, Hanabi, which is why I must to do this not only as the leader of our clan, but also as your big sister. It is my job to protect our people – to protect you. If I stood by and did nothing, I would feel more than just regretful. I may not like what I must do to save our clan, however, it is better than standing by and doing nothing at all. This is the only option we have."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she mumbled. For whatever reason, Hanabi was carrying a knapsack on her back. I had only noticed it when she pulled it off, sitting it on my bed.

"Why are you carrying a knapsack around?" I asked.

"In case I couldn't change your mind, I brought something handy you could use for the wedding ceremony."

Hanabi opened up the knapsack, removing what she was harboring. My mouth dropped in awe at the sight of what she offered to me.

"Here," she said as she handed it to me.

I accepted the item with earnest, holding it carefully in my hands. What my little sister gave to me was a silky vibrant red kimono designed with white and gold lotus flowers. The color and texture of this material was so unusual that I immediately got lost in it. Unfortunately, realization struck me and I found myself handing the piece back to my sister.

"I cannot wear that," I said.

"Yes, you can," she said as she shoved the kimono into my chest. "It wasn't easy getting that, you know. I'll be offended if you don't wear it."

"I simply cannot! Have you forgotten what this means?"

In the Hidden Leaf Village, whoever wears red silk to a wedding is assumed have the intent to take a life. This assumption was made about one-hundred years ago when war between countries frequently took place, spreading massive bloodshed. Many lives from the Land of Fire were lost, and red reminded people of the ones that died. Years have passed since then, and many people overlook wearing red to a wedding, however, the elderly have difficulty letting it go. If I was seen wearing red to a wedding, that would mean that I wish for the groom to be murdered by my hand or by another's.

Hanabi shrugged. "I think it's perfect."

"Hanabi," I chastised.

"What? It's not like he'll know the meaning behind it. It's a Land of Fire thing," she said. "Not only that, you have nothing to wear. If you won't wear that, you'll have to wear nothing at all."

I sucked in air as a mental battle ensued. At the end of this battle, I realized that she was correct.

"Alright, I will wear it," I said.

"You're welcome," she said with a smile as she headed for the door. "We both have an early start tomorrow, so I need to go to bed. In the morning, Father and I will see you off."

"Thank you again, Hanabi."

"What are sisters for?" she said.

Once she left, I felt alone almost immediately. I sat down on my bed with the kimono in my hands and as I stared at it, I could not even begin to imagine where Hanabi found this. The color was so vibrant, the design was so precise and elegant, and the texture was so smooth and light that one would have no knowledge of touching it if they were not watching their own hand caress the fabric. If she bought this, this must have cost over one million ryo.

To prevent it from wrinkling, I folded it carefully and placed it into a bag of its own. By the time I felt as though the fabric was secure enough to not wrinkle or dull during the three-week trip, it was well pass the time I needed to go to bed for a good night's rest. It was rather difficult to fall asleep knowing what awaited me the following day, but when I finally did, I woke up the next morning feeling like I did not receive an ounce of sleep. Nonetheless, I got out of bed and I completed my morning routine.

Now dressed and clean, I exited the estate to meet Lord Toneri's guards taking post by the carriage. When I reached the front yard where it was parked, not only were my father and Hanabi outside to see me off just as my little sister had said, the entire Hyuga house was there to watch me leave as well. Seeing them watch me leave with such faith in their eyes made my stomach turn. While I was not yet their leader, they depended on me to save them. I did not allow them to see it should their faith falter, but it put a lot of pressure on me to know how much they relied on me, causing me to question myself. I was not sure if I was worthy enough to lead them.

One of Lord Toneri's guards opened the carriage door for me and I entered it hesitantly. Though small, there was sufficient space to stretch my legs should they grow stiff during the long journey, and there were two small windows on either side of the carriage for me to look through.

The guards wasted no time in departure and before I knew it, we were on the move. We took occasional breaks for the horse to rest and for me to stretch and we never travelled during the night, making the journey the longest trip that I have ever been on. To try to pass the time, I attempted to converse with the guards every so often, however, they never spoke back. They continued to march on beside the carriage as if I never spoke to them at all, which I found rude at first, but as the days went by with still no conversation, not only with me but with their partners as well, I began to find their behavior odd.

And it did not take me long to find other odd behaviors they exhibited.

While I ate, they did not. While I slept, they did not., While I stretched, they did not take that time to rest. It made me wonder if they were human.

Snow covered the ground, telling me that we were near the Land of Iron. We still had at least one day left to reach the mountain peak where I am to meet Lord Toneri, but with the progress we were making, I speculated that we would achieve our destination by mid-evening.

As we began to trek up the mountain, I decided to wear the red kimono. I knew that as soon as I reached the mountain top, Lord Toneri would want to wed me immediately, so I carefully pulled the kimono out of my bag, lying it on the seat next to me. I was hesitant to undress inside of the carriage while there were four men walking next to the carriage outside, but I pushed past that and quickly took off my clothes.

Just as I finished putting on the kimono, and all of the extraneous parts that come with it, the carriage came to a halt, and with it, confusion came.

I peeked out of the window to find out why we stopped when a bolt of lightning surged past the carriage. I could not see what it hit, but I heard a loud _boom_ sound when it collided with its target. Whatever its target was, it was near the carriage.

One of the guards ran past the carriage towards the direction of the attack, but was soon pushed back with another bolt of lightning. Now realizing that it was us this person was attacking, I attempted to exit the carriage. However, when I tried to open the door, I discovered that it was locked. I tried again to force my way out of it by slamming my body against it, but to no avail.

 _Boom_. Another bolt of lightning struck.

It took every fiber within me to not enter a panic and to convince myself to think rationally. Pulling the handle on the door obviously will not work, so I chose to kick the door with as much strength as I could muster. One kick slightly dented the door outward.

 _Boom_.

I kicked it again, making the door bend even more, which allowed a gust of wind to push into the carriage along with flakes of snow. Warmth covered the inside of the carriage during my stay, so I was not used to or prepared for the frigid air. The sudden gust of freezing wind took my breath away but only for a moment.

 _Boom_.

I saw lightning strike next to the carriage and fear ran through me. I used that fear to fuel my blows to the door and I successfully broke the object off the carriage. I waited inside for a moment in case the attacker decided to strike as soon as he saw me destroy the door and then I decided to make my escape.

I only had the chance to poke my head out of the carriage when I saw a bolt of lightning coming for me in my peripheral. I did not have time to think or move. It hit the side of the carriage, sending it and me over the mountain.


	10. Chapter 10

When I awoke, I saw nothing but darkness. There were a few torches hanging on the walls, though they did not provide sufficient light for me to see where I am. After I fell from the mountain, I thought that would have been the end of me, but that appears to be naught. Someone must have brought me here, wherever "here" is.

Since I could not see my surroundings, I chose to use my other senses to get an idea as to where I might be. If I listened closely, I could hear water dripping from the roof onto the ground, causing that sound to echo throughout the area. When I breathed in, a musty taste entered my mouth and the scent filled my nose. As for what I felt; I happened to be lying down on a hard surface, more than likely a slab of stone. When my fingertips grazed the surface of it, it felt cold, rough, and slightly damp.

I sat up from where I was laying down and pain shot through my back. It was difficult for me to tell if I was in pain from lying on stone or because I fell from a mountain. No matter the reason, I had to find my way out of here so that I could make my way to the Land of Iron, so, slowly, I swung my legs over the edge of the slab and pushed myself off the elevated object. As soon as my bare feet hit the ground, an intense sharp pain shot through my left ankle, causing me to fall to the cold, wet ground.

I clasped my hands over my throbbing ankle only to discover a bandage wrapped tightly around it. Could I have injured myself from the fall and whoever found me patched me up?

Almost immediately after that thought crossed my mind, I heard footsteps approaching. Heart racing, my head snapped in the direction of the sound and I activated my Byakugan. I scanned the area to locate the source of the newfound sound. At first, I saw no one, but as the footsteps drew closer, I caught sight of the person's chakra network system, causing my mouth to drop and disbelief to take hold of me at the mere sight of him. I knew exactly who had rescued me.

When the person finally reached me, I deactivated my visual jutsu to look at him through my eyes just to be certain of his identity. When I saw him, I could not stop myself from gaping.

"Are you just going to stare at me or do you want help getting up?" asked Sasuke Uchiha with his usual snarky attitude.

Sasuke Uchiha had left the Leaf Village after the war to find out more on Kaguya Otsutsuki and to atone for all of the crimes he committed prior to the war. Though it has only been two years, his appearance has changed so much. He is taller, his hair is longer, he is more muscular, and his dark eyes are no longer filled with hate. Instead, when I look into his eyes all I can see is closure. This is a version of Sasuke that I thought I would never see again.

I tore my eyes away from him, embarrassed that I stared for so long. "S-Sorry, it is rude to stare," I said. "Could you assist me to stand?"

He walked over to me, offering his right hand. "Lean on my shoulder for support if you need to."

I grabbed his right hand as he pulled me up from the ground. Now standing on my right foot, I leaned on Sasuke's right shoulder to maintain my balance. Sasuke then wrapped his arm around my waist to keep me from falling as he escorted me back to the stone slab. With one arm, he hoisted me up onto the slab.

"Thank you," I said.

He merely grunted as a response and kneeled to inspect my ankle.

As he examined me, I asked him "Did you save me?"

"Yeah," he said. "You fell off the mountain after I attacked you."

I frowned. " _You_ were the one who attacked us?"

"I was following a lead." Sasuke removed the now dirty bandage from around my ankle. "I should be asking you the questions here. What were you doing with those guards?"

"I…" I turned away from him. "It is a long story."

I felt Sasuke's eyes on me. He said "Good thing I'm not busy." He grabbed my ankle. "It looks like you don't have to be anywhere at this moment either."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "I am on my way to marry a man named Toneri Otsutsuki. When you attacked, and sent me flying off the mountain, I was almost to my destination. At the mountain top in the Land of Iron, we were going to hold the wedding ceremony."

"Otsutsuki…" repeated Sasuke. "Any relation to Kaguya?"

I shook my head. "I do not know. I did not trouble myself to ask him that seeming as many people share the same surname."

"Where is this man from?"

"I do not know. He did not say when I asked."

"So, you're marrying a guy who might be affiliated with Kaguya and you don't know where he's from?" asked Sasuke in disbelief. "I know that we hardly spoke to one another back in the village, but you have to be smarter than this, Hinata."

"He is…" I stopped myself. "I do not have a choice. This is something that I must do."

Sasuke began rubbing ointment on my swollen ankle. "An arranged marriage? Those always work out."

I ignored his sarcasm. "Enough about me. Why did you attack us?"

"Like I said, I was following a lead. What I am doing is classified so I can't tell you everything. All I can say is that those things have been causing trouble not only in the Land of Iron, but in other parts of the world too. I think that they might have a relation to Kaguya."

"Things?" I said. "Do you mean the guards?"

"They're puppets, not people. I only discovered that about a month ago when I was forced to kill one of them. Since then, I've been trying to find their master so I could question him."

I could not say that I was surprised Lord Toneri's guards were puppets. They did not tend to basic human needs throughout our travel together. "Those puppets belong to Lord Toneri, though I doubt he has a relation to Kaguya."

Sasuke began to wrap a new bandage around my ankle. As I watched him, I noticed that he only used his right hand.

"Your fiancé?" he verified.

"Yes," I said.

"If that's true, then I guess I'll have to escort you to the Land of Iron."

I was uncomfortable with that idea and I let him see that in my expression. "That is unnecessary. You do not have to go through the trouble of escorting me."

"I need to speak with Toneri. Not only that," Sasuke gestured to my bandaged ankle, "you can't walk up the mountain by yourself."

He was right about that, but if he agitated Lord Toneri in any way, I could only worry that it might spell disaster for my clan.

"Please," I said. "You cannot irritate this man. If you do, he might harm my people."

The bandage that Sasuke wrapped around my ankle was too lose, so he removed it and began to wrap it up again. "So, you're being forced to marry a bad man? How cliché. Sorry, Hinata, I don't really have a choice here either. If he is related to Kaguya in any way, it might mean trouble for the world. We can't start a Fifth Great Ninja War."

I shook my head, making my long hair jostle like mad. I pleaded "Please, Sasuke. He will destroy my family. He has the power to erase anyone with Hyuga blood from existence. You lost your clan; I would like to think that you have enough compassion and understanding to not allow that to happen to mine."

When Sasuke was eight, his older brother, Itachi, eradicated the Uchiha clan. This fueled Sasuke with hate and rage and he grew an obsession to become strong enough to kill his brother for what he did. As a thirteen-year-old Genin, Sasuke left the Leaf Village to become stronger. When he achieved the power he desired, he killed his brother. Unfortunately, soon after he killed Itachi, he discovered that Itachi had been assigned by the Third Hokage to eliminate their clan to protect the Leaf Village, for the Uchiha clan was conspiring against the Third Hokage. Learning this filled Sasuke with more hate and he set out to destroy the Leaf Village to avenge his brother. It was a long journey that Sasuke took, but he eventually had a change of heart and set out on another journey to make up for all of the horrible things that he has done during his hate filled mission to destroy the Leaf. Looking into Sasuke's eyes, I can still see that he has more to go, but he has come a long way from where he started.

"I know how you must feel all too well," said Sasuke, "but I can't allow myself to be compassionate when the world is at stake. When we get to the Land of Iron, I will try not to irritate Toneri too much."

I tightened my lips. There was nothing I could do here. All I could do was hope for the best.

Sasuke finished tending to my ankle and he stood up. He offered me his right hand.

I looked at his hand and then back at Sasuke. "What happened to your left arm?" I asked.

He dropped his right arm to his side. He said "After the war, Naruto and I went to the Final Valley to fight. We beat each other up pretty bad, so bad that we took the other's arm."

My eyes widened.

I remember Naruto coming back to the Leaf with one arm – his left arm. Lady Tsunade made him a prosthetic arm that could do anything that a normal arm could do and Naruto wore it with pride. I guess that Sasuke did not want one.

Sasuke offered me his right hand again. He said "Come on. We don't have all day. We wasted enough time while you were recovering from the fall."

I accepted his hand, carefully leaving the slab of stone to join him on the ground. I asked him "How long was I unconscious?"

"Four days," he said.

My eyes widened once more. "Four days?" I then felt myself begin to panic. "It is unlikely that Lord Toneri is still at the Land of Iron."

"We still need to check to make sure."

Sasuke walked me through the cave by giving me permission to hang onto his arm. When we reached the mouth of the cave, frigid air seized me, making me shiver and my body automatically shied away from the cold.

Sasuke glanced down at me, remembering that I was only wearing a red kimono, and removed the wool poncho that he was wearing to put it around me. He also recalled that I was not wearing any shoes so he kneeled in front of me, offering me his back.

I hesitated. "I-I cannot ride on your back, Sasuke."

"You don't have a choice."

I tightened my lips.

After taking a breath, I placed my hands on his shoulders and leaned against his back, which was rather difficult since his sword was already resting on his back. When Sasuke stood up, I wrapped my legs around him to prevent myself from falling, but to be sure I would not slip, Sasuke grabbed onto my bare thigh, causing me to suppress a squeal. No man has ever touched my thighs before.

"Let's go," said Sasuke before venturing out into the cold.

The freezing air nipped at my nose and soon my face began to succumb to the harshness of the weather. To give my skin relief, I buried my head into Sasuke's neck. I expected him to reject me, but all he did was glance and then he gave his attention back to the path ahead.

Despite my effort to find relief in Sasuke's warmth, the cold was persistent and I found myself shivering. Offering the poncho was a caring and thoughtful gesture, though, it was not enough to protect me from the weather; I was underdressed. Sasuke soon detected my suffering and he made the decision to find shelter immediately.

We walked for what seemed like hours when we finally came across a small cottage. By the time we reached the cottage, my body had become numb and my fingers and toes had gone blue. Luckily, the cottage owned a fireplace with wood to feed the fire at our disposal.

"Because of the blizzard, we'll have to wait it out in order to proceed up the mountain," said Sasuke once we entered the cottage.

Sasuke sat me down on the carpet in front of the fireplace before he stocked it with wooden logs.

I tightened the poncho around me in an attempt to get warmer. I said "W-We d-do not know h-how long that will t-take. W-We have to l-leave as soon as p-p-possible."

"Neither of us are in any condition to travel up the mountain in this storm, especially you. You're wearing nothing but a kimono and you're turning into a human popsicle right before my very eyes. The safe thing to do is wait it out."

Instead of finding a match to light the fireplace with, Sasuke weaved some hand signs together and, once he released, out came embers from his mouth, lighting the fireplace. Almost immediately I felt the warmth from the fire and I relaxed slightly but I continued to shake.

"I-I w-will be fine," I argued. "We m-must hurry b-before we are t-too late."

Sasuke stared at me. "Hinata, if we leave now, there is a possibility that you will die. You won't be saving anyone if that happens."

"I h-have to t-t-take that chance."

Sasuke kneeled in front of me, eyes locked onto mine. The reflection in his dark orbs told me what he was thinking; he did not have to say anything, but he did anyway.

"Don't be an idiot. You need to think rationally. What good are you to your clan if you're dead?"

I looked away from him.

"I found you," said Sasuke. "That makes you my responsibility. If you die under my watch, the fault falls on me. You aren't in any condition to take on the cold." Sasuke pointed to my lips before standing up. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this. Your blue lips say it all."

Subconsciously, I touched my lips.

Sasuke smirked at my reaction. "Let's rest here for the night and see how it looks out there in the morning."

Reluctantly, I agreed.

While I stationed by the fire to get warm, Sasuke prepared dinner. When he pulled a pot along with some ingredients out of his bag, I knew that he was going to make stew. I had not noticed how hungry I was until the smell of the stew cooking seized my nose and I fought hard to keep myself from salivating.

Since Sasuke had been travelling alone for quite some time, he only had one bowl to spare. He allowed me to eat first when the meal finished and waited patiently for me to complete the stew. Once I finished, he began to eat.

As he consumed his meal, I asked him "How long have you been out here?"

"About five months."

"Has it only been five months? Your resistance to the cold is amazing," I said.

"Just because I can tolerate the cold better than you doesn't mean that I'm amazing. It just means that I know how to dress appropriately," he said. "You wearing a kimono out in the Land of Iron is a death sentence."

"I would have worn something warmer, however, I had not planned on staying here for very long. Your surprise attack changed my plans."

"I said I was sorry, didn't I?"

I narrowed my eyes. "No, no you did not."

"Well, sorry," he said. "If this Toneri guy wants to marry you so badly, I'm sure he's still on the top of the mountain waiting for you."

A wave of worry took over me at the thought of reaching the top of the mountain and he would not be there. I could only assume that he would be on his way back the Leaf Village to decimate my clan.

"The only way to know for certain is by reaching my destination," I said.

"If the weather dies down, I can hope that we'll reach the top by tomorrow evening or the following morning," said Sasuke.

"My ankle is going to slow us down quite a sum," I mentioned.

"You aren't heavy, so you shouldn't slow us down too much. I just have to be careful not to drop you while climbing up the mountain," he said after he sipped the broth from the bowl.

I narrowed my eyes again. "Yes, let us hope you do not do that." I studied Sasuke as he finished up his meal. I said "You have been travelling alone for a while now."

"Yeah. What's your point?"

"Somewhere along the line of your travels, you had to have sustained injuries serious enough to seek medical attention. Have you copied any healing ninjutsu along your journey?"

As a member of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke has a visual jutsu called the Sharingan that grants him the ability to see chakra flow, mimic movements, anticipate his opponent's next move perfectly, copy any ninjutsu except for kekkei genkai, and to hypnotize his target with genjutsu, forcing the target to do whatever the user wishes. Unlike the Byakugan, where the user is born with it, an Uchiha must activate their Sharingan through experiencing strong emotion such as extreme stress, experiencing loss, the strong urge to protect someone important, etc. The Sharingan is also one of the Three Great Visual Jutsu along with the Byakugan and the Rinnegan, which Sasuke also has.

"No, I haven't," said Sasuke.

Disappointment filled my face. "I see…"

Once Sasuke put down his bowl, he said to me "Rest is another way to heal. It's getting late and we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. You should go to bed."

"I suppose you are correct."

I glanced around the room, noticing that there was only one small bed to sleep on.

Sasuke read my face when my eyes fell upon the bed and told me "Take the bed. You need it more than I do."

"A-Are you sure?" I asked.

"I'm fine sleeping on the carpet."

"Thank you, Sasuke," I said.

Using the support of a nearby table, I pulled myself up from the floor, taking care to put little to no weight on my twisted ankle. As I made my way to the bed, I realized that Sasuke stood beside me in case I should fall. Thankfully, I did not and I reached the bed without incident.

Now sitting on the bed, I removed Sasuke poncho and I attempted to hand it to him.

"You might as well wear it as an extra blanket. You can use all of the warmth you can get," he said.

"What about you?" I asked.

Sasuke gestured to the kindling fire. "I'll be alright."

I smiled meekly and draped the poncho over myself. Once I did, the scent of Sasuke filled my nose. Though Sasuke and I do not know the other well, I found it comforting to know that he was watching out for me.

"Thank you, Sasuke," I said again.

"Just go to sleep," he said.

Without exchanging another word, I wrapped myself up in the blankets and shut my eyes. Despite all of the worry and fear I felt, I soon drifted off to sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

I awoke to a force gently shaking my body. When I finally came to my senses, I realized that it was Sasuke. With groggy eyes, I looked up at him questioningly.

"Get up," he said.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Four in the morning. We need to leave now if we want to reach the top by sunset," he said.

I did not argue. Instead I sat up in the bed with the poncho still wrapped around me. Sasuke then kneeled in front of me, offering his back to me again. Still uncomfortable with the idea of riding on his back, I swallowed any emotion hindering me from taking his offer.

I firmly placed my hands on each of his shoulders and then wrapped my legs around his body as he stood up. Once again, he placed his right hand on my bare thigh to keep me from slipping off his back, causing me to suppress any noise that would draw attention to my discomfort.

"Are you ready?" he asked me.

I merely nodded my head in response since I had already buried my face in Sasuke's neck.

Despite my efforts to seek solace in the warmth of Sasuke's neck, it was not enough to prepare me for the bitter cold air that seized us when he opened the front door. It had stopped snowing, but the frigid air did not let up. The cold attacked me and I subconsciously held tighter onto Sasuke in hopes to receive more warmth from him. Unfortunately pressing myself closer to his body did not help me as much as I wished. The freezing wind challenged us relentlessly, testing our will to persevere. I had difficulty fighting against the cold, and I wondered how Sasuke could take this weather with such ease, especially since I was wearing his only piece of clothing for warmth.

On our journey to the mountain, we did not speak much, not that we could really say much since the weather prevented us from doing much of anything other than move forward.

A gust of freezing wind brushed against my leg and I tensed.

Sasuke glanced back at me asking "Are you alright?"

I nodded my head. "Yes. I am just cold."

"I am too," he said, "but we can make it to the mountain top without casualty."

"Are you sure about that?" As I asked that, I felt myself on the verge of shivering.

"Yeah, we can make it. Just hang in there."

I frowned as uncertainty filled me. It has only been about an hour since we left the cottage and I am already beginning to shiver. Not only that, my toes and fingertips are burning from being exposed to the bitter wind. Soon, numbness will set in. After that, frostbite.

"We won't make it today, Sasuke," I said. "You are used to this weather and you are dressed appropriately. I, however, am not suited for this."

"If you keep talking like that, then you won't make it up the mountain by tonight," he said. "Try to keep a positive attitude."

"I will need more than a positive attitude."

I was unsure, but I was almost certain that I heard him scoff. To that, I rolled my eyes.

I attempted to do what Sasuke suggested. At first, it seemed to work, however, after a few hours had passed by, and the sun began to rise, all of the "positivity" that I collected had faded as reality had set in. My body had begun to take a turn for the worse.

My body tensed up completely and the only movement I could make without feeling as though one of my limbs were going to snap off was involuntary shivering and chattering teeth. Every square inch on my body hurt as if someone was sticking me with needles, but I also felt numb at the same time. As we began to ascend the mountain's path, I felt myself becoming tired and weak, causing me to loosen my tight grip on Sasuke.

When Sasuke felt me loosen my hold on him, he asked "Are you doing alright?"

We had not spoken to one another in a couple of hours so when I opened my mouth to answer, I found it rather difficult, especially since I had trouble breathing. Nevertheless, I managed to tell him "No."

Sasuke easily detected the trouble I was experiencing to speak, and after glancing back at me, he immediately decided to take a brief respite.

He said "If I remember correctly, there's an aperture on the mountain not too far from here. Can you hang on until we get there?"

"Y-Yes, I can make it."

"Good," he said. "Whatever you do, Hinata, do not fall asleep and do not let go of me. Understand?"

What he asked of me was easy to understand, yet I had an issue comprehending and I soon found myself staring off into space. As soon as he realized that I was not going to respond, he snapped me out of it by asking me again.

"Understand?" he repeated as he shook me a bit.

"Y-Yes, Sasuke. I will not fall asleep and I will not let go," I said.

His lips tightened. "You better not. As I mentioned yesterday, I can't perform medical ninjutsu."

I offered a small smile in response.

Feeling concerned for my health, Sasuke trekked faster up the path, in search for the aperture within the mountain. Now that we were elevated, the wind seemed to become stronger and colder than it was previously, which made it all the more difficult for me to do as Sasuke had asked of me. Breathing now slowed, I felt weaker than I did earlier and I soon grew sleepy.

I had closed my eyes for what seemed like a few seconds and the next thing I knew, I was lying on the ground of what appeared to be a cave. Though, my suspicions of my location being a cave soon proved to be false when until I looked to the left and saw snow falling through the mouth of my location. It was at that moment that I realized that Sasuke must have found the aperture.

It was hard for me to move from where I was lying but I did not need to move to figure out that Sasuke was nowhere to be found. A small part of me worried that he would not come back and that I would end up dying here alone but then I saw that he left his bag full of supplies. Relief and anticipation washed over me as I waited for him to return.

Minutes later, Sasuke entered the aperture with wood and stones wrapped up in cloth. His dark eyes met mine as soon as I was within his view, causing the usual serious expression in his onyx colored orbs to change to something softer. He did not approach me though. Instead, he began to make a fire with the wood and stones he collected.

As he set up the stone and wood to create a fire pit, he asked me "How are you feeling?"

I opened my mouth to answer, soon discovering that it was still troublesome to speak.

Sasuke noticed immediately when I opened my mouth and said "You don't have to speak if it's too much for you. I already know that you must be freezing. When you passed out on my back, I honestly thought you were dead. It's a good thing that you aren't – I don't want the blood of the future Hyuga leader on my hands. Explaining that to Kakashi would be too difficult."

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"First things first," said Sasuke after he completed the fire pit. "The fire will warm you up and then I'll prepare some soup to finish the job. If we're lucky, and you aren't close to the brink of death like I suspect, then we might be able to head towards the Land of Iron just before sunset."

Sasuke lit the fire pit by using ninjutsu just as he had back at the cottage. Upon release of the jutsu, the warmth of the fire expelling from his mouth caressed my shivering body, giving me a short sense of relief from the torture of the cold, but only for a brief moment. Once the fire was lit and the jutsu completed, my body acted as if it had never received an ounce of warmth and I resumed shivering, only this time more violently.

I laid there, curled unto myself, by the fire for an uncertain amount of time after he lit it trying to absorb the heat provided by the small pit. Unfortunately, my body was so cold that I felt little to no difference as I continued to shake uncontrollably.

Though he said nothing, Sasuke observed me from the opposite end of the pit. He seemed to be contemplating something in his head as he watched me suffer in silence.

"W-Why a-are you l-looking at me like t-that?" I managed to ask through chattering teeth.

"Are you in pain?" he asked.

"I j-just feel numb," I said.

"We've been sitting here for about forty minutes and you show no progress. Is the fire helping you recover at all?"

"N-Not v-very much," I said.

He furrowed his eyebrows, turning away as he did so.

Silence lingered between us for several moments, making me believe that that was the end of our conversation, but then Sasuke removed his sword from his back and stood up from where he was sitting. He walked over to me and when he was standing over me, I stared up at him in confusion.

My eyes flickered between him and his sheathed sword. I asked "A-Are you g-going to k-kill me?"

"Killing you doesn't benefit me. In fact, taking your life will only make things more complicated for me," he said.

"T-Then, w-what do you w-want?"

He did not respond. Instead, he placed his sword on the ground beside me. He then walked behind me, taking a seat there against the wall. Still confused, and slightly nervous, I wondered what he was doing when I felt his hand pull me up from the ground. With ease, he pulled me against his body, holding onto me tightly.

Startled by his actions, I asked "W-What a-are you d-doing?"

"What you're experiencing is minor hypothermia. The fire clearly isn't helping so it's best that I use my body heat to warm you up. I don't want to take my chances in your condition getting worse," he said.

"P-Please," I said as I attempted to squirm out of his hold, "I-I am f-fine without the aid of your b-body h-heat. I do not n-need your assistance."

"With your strength gone, you won't be going anywhere unless I allow it," he said. "Just sit still and let me warm you up. I don't enjoy this any more than you do."

His demand was difficult to abide by, yet I had no choice but to adhere to it. Like he said, with my strength gone, Sasuke could force me to do anything he wanted, such as hold me captive in his arms or carry me up the mountain. If anyone from my clan were to see me like this, it would bring great shame to my family. No member from the Hyuga clan should witness their leader in such a vulnerable state. If they were to, they would without any doubt question my strength as a leader or see me as unfit to lead.

"Can I ask you why you decided to wear a red kimono to your wedding?" asked Sasuke.

It had been silent for so long between us that the sound of his voice and the vibration I felt on my back from him speaking startled me. In fact, so much time had passed that my teeth stopped chattering.

"Doesn't that color mean you want to kill your fiancé?" he asked.

"That is what the elderly villagers tell us, yes," I said.

"Do you hate this Toneri guy that badly?"

"No, I do not hate him. Despite the color, I will do whatever means necessary to make our betrothal a success, however, if our commitment does not work out, and he attempts to harm me or my clan, then I will have no choice but to end his life," I said. "He is not a kind man, so I can only hope that he will have a change of heart somewhere within our marriage."

"He isn't from the Leaf, so he won't even know what the red kimono means. What's the point of wearing it if he doesn't understand the message?"

"What matters is that I understand. I do not want to lose sight of what is most important to me – the future of my clan."

"I can see why your father is so eager to have you lead the clan. You've changed a lot since I've seen you last," said Sasuke.

"Much has changed in general within the Hidden Leaf Village," I said.

"You've changed, but has your crush on Naruto?"

I felt myself beginning to blush. "M-My c-crush on N-Naruto? T-That… I-I…"

Sasuke smirked in delight as he watched me fluster. "I guess that no matter how strong or independent you've become, some things will not change about you."

My mouth fell into a frown. "While it is true that I still have feelings for Naruto, I need to learn to move on. My feelings for him will not be reciprocated. He loves someone else."

"Naruto loves someone?" asked Sasuke in disbelief. "Who's the poor sap that won his ramen filled heart?"

"Sakura," I said.

Sasuke did not sound the slightest bit surprised at my response. "I guess that if he were to fall in love with someone, it would be Sakura. He's had a crush on her for as long as I can remember. Let me guess; she doesn't notice."

"Whether she noticed or not, she still loves you."

Sasuke exhaled and I could feel his body tense up a little.

"She needs to know how to let go," he said.

"It is not easy, Sasuke. Have you ever been in love?"

"No, and I never intend to be."

Something in his tone told me not to believe him. "You wish to revive your clan, correct? How could you possibly do that if you do not fall in love with another?"

"You don't have to love someone to create life. Since you're arranged to be married, I assumed that you would have learned that by now."

I winced. I nearly forgot that I will be forced to consummate with Lord Toneri some point after the wedding. Doing that, in fact, might be worse than partaking in the ceremony, especially since I am untouched. Thinking about it made me sick to my stomach.

"I-If you can help it, why not make the most out of your life by trying to find happiness with someone else? If you do that, life will be better for you and your child," I said.

"That isn't how I do things," he said.

"That is sad to hear."

Sasuke sucked on his teeth before releasing me. He then stood up, pulled some items out of his bag, and sat in front of the fire with a knife in hand.

He said "You're warm enough to recover without my body heat. I'll make the soup now to finish the job."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Did I upset you?"

"Whether you upset me or not does not matter. What matters is getting you strong enough to resume the climb up the mountain side. As soon as you finish the soup, we're going to climb up the mountain again, and this time we aren't stopping."

"R-Right…"

It did not take long for the soup to finish. He had only made enough for me and as soon as I ate it, we continued the climb up the mountain just as he said. When we resumed, it was half past noon. On an estimate, reaching the Land of Iron from this point will take somewhere near seven hours, however, Sasuke was determined to get to the top before I set us back again by succumbing to hypothermia again, causing him to trek up the mountain with incredible speed. At this rate, I suspected us get to our destination by seventeen-hundred hours, and the entire way up, I prayed that Lord Toneri was still there.

Sasuke and I had a few minor setbacks on our journey up the mountain such as slight fatigue and losing footing from the slippery snow resting on the ground. Regardless of what he faced, Sasuke pressed forward and I could not help but to watch in awe. Everyone who met Naruto and Sasuke would say that they were similar. I tried looking for what they saw, but I never saw it until this moment. Like Naruto, when Sasuke wanted something, he went for it relentlessly. It was incredible to watch.

Hours had passed by and the snowfall grew heavier with each passing moment. This, however, did not stop Sasuke in the slightest. Because of his persistence, we reached the top just before seventeen-hundred hours, leaving me, once again, in awe.

On the flat surface of the mountain, was a small forest of leafless trees that we ventured through before coming across a large stone wall that stretched so far along the land that we could not see where it ended or where it began. I could only guess that beyond this wall rested a village. The issue is, is this the village that Lord Toneri was waiting for me in?

"Where were you and Toneri supposed to get married? Depending on your answer, we found the right village," said Sasuke.

"We were to marry inside of a cathedral," I said.

"We found the right place then. This is the only village in the Land of Iron that has a cathedral," said Sasuke.

"R-Really? Where is the front gate?"

"On the opposite end of this wall. It will take too long to reach the front so we'll have to take a shortcut."

"A shortcut? What do you propose?"

"Hang on tight," he said.

His instructions could not lead to anything good, but I listened with acquiesce by wrapping my arms around his neck and wrapping my legs tighter around his waist. Just as I latched securely onto him, he jumped high into the air, high enough to overlook the village beyond the large wall. I could see all of the buildings from our view and I even spotted the cathedral in the distance. Just as I began to memorize the path from where we were to the cathedral, I felt us falling and I latched tighter onto Sasuke.

When his feet safely landed on the ground, he smirked at me. "I wasn't going to drop you if that's what you were thinking," he said as he tugged at my arms to loosen my hold around his neck.

I loosened my hold on him. "N-No, I was not thinking of that in the slightest."

"Whatever. Let's just go to this cathedral to see if your twisted fiancé is still in the village. If anyone should know, it must be the bishop."

I nodded my head.

It did not take me long to notice that as we walked through the village that the villagers were staring at us. The attention that we were receiving made me uncomfortable but I tried to the best of my ability to ignore it, deeming that their stares were the least of my worries. Though, it was when we reached the busiest part of the village, that I noticed many of the stares the men gave lingered for a bit too long and I felt myself cringe.

Feeling my body stiffen against him, Sasuke said "Make sure your legs are covered by the poncho. This part of the world is riddled with frigid weather so the men here don't have the luxury of seeing bare skin out in the open like this."

I did as he said all the while mumbling "I am not a show girl."

"Show girl or not, a man knows when he sees a nice pair of legs that what rests between them must be a treat, and it fills him with curiosity."

My face started to feel hot at learning that these men might be fantasizing about _me_.

"Have… Have _you_ ever wondered that about a woman?" I asked.

"Every man has," he shrugged.

His response surprised me. The other boys in the Academy showed great interest in the pleasantries that a girl provides while Sasuke displayed little to no interest. Given that he is a man, and a man has needs, it still never crossed my mind whether Sasuke thought about that sort of thing, and I found myself wondering if he had any ill-willed intentions towards me while he cared for me during my vulnerable state.

As soon as that passed through my mind, I pushed to back of my thoughts. I may not know Sasuke as well as the other kids that we graduated with, but I know that he is not a pig. If he was, Sakura would not have such strong feelings for him. Also, Sasuke has had plenty of opportunities to take advantage of me and has not, proving to me that he is not like the men watching me at this moment. Still, as I thought more about it, another wonder took over me.

I asked Sasuke "Have, um… Have you ever lied down with a woman?"

Whether my sudden question caught Sasuke off guard or not, I would never know; however, he took his time to respond to me by answering carefully. He asked "Don't you think that is a little personal?"

"Y-Yes, I suppose that it is. I apologize if I offended you in any way."

"I don't get offended easily," he said. "We shouldn't share that information with each other – it has nothing to do with our current objective. Learning personal information about one another won't help us in the long run."

"It could potentially bring us closer together," I mentioned.

"And that aids no one. After I drop you off at the cathedral to marry Toneri, I'll be leaving to resume my mission, and you'll be heading back to the Leaf Village with him to lead your family. There is no need for us become closer."

I frowned as disappointment took over. "You are correct. It will only hinder us in the long run."

Once more, silence fell between us and the only sound that could be heard was the mass of people talking. The silence did not last long, and we arrived at the cathedral within minutes.

Far from the bustle of the village, the large cathedral sat upon a hill covered in snow. Prior to arriving at our destination, it had been snowing like mad. Now, only light snow flakes fall here and there, giving the appearance of the building a haunting feel. Whether it truly was the snow adding ambiance to the cathedral or my own anxiousness, I had the urge to run as far away from this place as possible. Furthermore, no one was around other than Sasuke and me.

"It is odd that no one is around. A sacred ground this massive must mean that a large sum of the people residing here must practice the same belief," I said.

"It isn't that odd. It will be dark within the hour, meaning that it will become colder. Even though the villagers are used to this environment, there is still a chance that they could succumb to the harsh weather. Because of that, it is unlikely for worshipers to gather around here at this time. In fact, I'm sure that curfew will be starting soon," said Sasuke.

"Curfew so soon? How cold does it become past nightfall?"

"Somewhere around negative thirty-six degrees Celsius or more."

I gaped.

"Don't worry. We'll be finished here before it gets that low."

With me still on his back, Sasuke opened the large door to the cathedral. No worshippers were inside, however, at the very end of the building, the bishop stood in front of a massive stone statue of the being these people assume to be their God. Growing up in the Leaf Village, no one practices religion, so I am unfamiliar with the entire concept, though I do have respect for those who firmly believe in it, especially since a huge portion of our world does not associate with such practices. It is said by many that religion and believing in Gods is a waste of time and, as ninja, we should be focusing on defending what we can see with our own eyes such as our family, our village, and our Hokage.

When Sasuke closed the door behind us, the sound echoed throughout the empty space, startling the bishop. He turned to face us with a frightened expression, but then when his eyes met us, realizing that we were strangers, he relaxed.

With a welcoming smile, he said "Ah! Visitors from a distant land? That is quite unusual. Have you come to learn about our faith?"

"No," said Sasuke. "We have come here searching for a man named Toneri Otsutsuki. Has he been through here?"

Once the name fell on the bishop's ears, his face turned ghostly pale.

"Clearly, you know him," said Sasuke.

"Are you here to kill me?" asked the bishop.

"Depends. What's your relationship to him?"

"Sasuke!" I scolded. I then said the bishop "No, we are not here to harm you. I am to marry him here, however, I was delayed by a series of unfortunate events. Is he still here in the village?"

He seemed to believe me, but he did not relax. "No. The man left our village about two days ago."

Even though I prepared myself for this outcome, I could not stop worrying as to where he went and what he planned to do when he got there. I did not show up at the time allotted so he might think that I am fleeing or plotting something against him.

"Do you know where he went?" I asked.

"No, he did not say," answered the bishop. "My child, may I ask why are you going to marry such an evil man?"

"That isn't relevant," said Sasuke. "What we need to know is why he decided to stay here until recently. Given how hasty he was to marry you, I wouldn't imagine him staying here in the hopes of you showing up. He had to have been doing something else in the meantime, especially since the bishop is afraid of him."

"Did he threaten your life?" I asked the bishop.

"Not just mine, but others as well."

"Why?" I asked.

"He-" The bishop stopped himself and fear took over. "I-I cannot say. If I do, he will do unspeakable things."

"Just spit it out," said Sasuke. "He's one man. What's the worst that he can do to the capital of the Land of Iron?"

A haunted look glossed over the bishop's face as he stared at us. He said "The damage that he has done in his short stay here is irremediable. That man is born from the pit of Hell itself, and I will not answer anymore questions about that man. If you would like, you can remain here to offer prayer. Just keep in mind that if you do stay, curfew will begin in one hour."

Sasuke and I exchanged glances, the same thought running through our heads. What did Lord Toneri do?


	12. Chapter 12

I sat on the bed at the inn as I watched Sasuke pack a few items into his knapsack. What the bishop told us last night kept me awake as I continued to wonder what unspeakable damage Lord Toneri bestowed upon these people. The fact that he is indeed evil did not shock me in any shape or form since he threatened to erase my family from existence. He has much to gain from the Hyuga clan, so his adamant betrothal to me is not something I would find as odd behavior, yet threatening a village and the bishop, no less, to the point of him being afraid to speak makes no sense. What does he have to gain from threatening a village in the Land of Iron into silence? It certainly has no correlation to my clan, which makes me wonder if he has something bigger planned…

"You've been staring in my direction for the past several minutes. Do you have something to say?" said Sasuke with a snarky attitude.

I ignored his attitude and said "I am just thinking about Lord Toneri and what he plans to do with my family. Whatever it is, I can only leave my imagination up to unveiling his intentions."

"Doing that will get you nowhere. The only way to find out is by going back to the Leaf Village to see for yourself."

"The Leaf is a long way from here," I said. "With my twisted ankle, I can only go so far on my own."

Sasuke stared at me for what felt like hours as he contemplated a matter in his head.

Once I felt uncomfortable enough to the point of fidgeting from his intense gaze, I asked "W-What?"

"I need to resume my mission, but I can't bring myself to leave you here in your condition, especially with how you're dressed. You'll either die from hypothermia or get sexually assaulted."

I became flustered. "S-S-Sexually assaulted? How dare you! Just because I am a woman does not mean-"

"It isn't because you're a woman. It's because you're a woman wearing a red kimono that shows anyone that notices you your assets. I most certainly noticed," he admitted. "You may be strong, but you can't defend yourself when you can't even stand on two feet."

"I understand the self-defense aspect, but a gentleman should not be staring at my 'assets'," I said.

"Your body has changed a lot since the last time I saw you, Hinata, and I can't help noticing." Sasuke zipped up his knapsack. "Also, I'm not a gentleman."

Hesitantly, I asked "You… You have not thought of me sexually since we have been travelling together, have you?"

Sasuke put on his bag, extended his hand to me and told me "I know a medical ninja near here that can fix up your ankle. After that, you can return to the Leaf."

Wearing the astonishment on my sleeve, I looked up at Sasuke who wore an unreadable expression. Learning this made me fear riding on his back because now I wondered what perversion would be coursing through his mind when I press my body against his as he holds onto my bare thigh for additional support.

"Despite what I revealed to you, I would never harm you," he said. "I'm not desperate like most of the men in this village. If I want to relieve myself, I can simply visit a brothel."

I tightened my lips. Sasuke has given me no reason to distrust him so I took his hand, using the support he provided to stand up from the bed. We went through the routine of him kneeling so that I can ride on his back before we exited the inn and soon, the village. Like he said, the village that the medical ninja lived in was not far from where we once were, taking us merely three hours to reach it. Once we arrived, it was apparent to both of us that no people were walking about. It resembled a ghost town.

"Is it always this desolate?" I asked.

Snowfall has been heavy these past few days, however, since last night, it has not snowed. Observing our surroundings, it is obvious that no one has wandered through this village within the last twenty-four hours, seeming as there are no footprints in the snow and firewood near each house remained untouched. They are covered in snow and some firewood looks as though someone had begun to chop it but then abandoned it.

"No, it definitely is not," said Sasuke. "Use your Byakugan to see if anyone is still here."

I activated my visual jutsu and began to survey the houses. I found that all of the villagers resided inside of their homes and I even located the medical ninja due to the unique chakra network system. I also identified that the medical ninja is an elderly woman.

After I deactivated my Byakugan, I said "Everyone is here and unharmed, including the medical ninja."

"Good," was all he said prior to walking towards the kunoichi's home.

Instead of knocking politely, Sasuke pounded on the kunoichi's door.

I said "You are going to scare her."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Nothing can scare this woman."

He pounded on the door repeatedly until the medical ninja swung open the door in irritation, allowing the snow stacked up at her entrance to fall inside of her home. Once her eyes met Sasuke, she frowned. She said "I had hoped that you would not come back here."

Without waiting for her to invite us inside, Sasuke let himself into her home. Since I was on his back, I had no choice but to enter as well. I told the woman upon entry "I am so sorry for the intrusion."

She closed the door, preventing the cold air from also intruding. "I expect this from Sasuke. You don't need to apologize for him; it's a waste of breath."

"We're wasting time," said Sasuke. "I need a favor from you, Tsumiko."

"If you're injured, go somewhere else. You can die out in snow for all I care," said Tsumiko.

"Do I look injured to you?" snapped Sasuke. "It's for her."

I pulled back the poncho to reveal my bandaged ankle.

After glancing at my ankle, Tsumiko glared at Sasuke and told him "Sit her down on the bed."

He obeyed.

Once he stepped away, the medical ninja began to inspect my injury. Upon inspection, she made me wince a few times from either gripping too hard or by turning it a bit too much, but once she finished she diagnosed me of having a twisted ankle.

"If it took her that long to figure out that you have a twisted ankle then I think we need to find someone else to have a look at you," said Sasuke.

He offered to me his hand so that we could leave, but Tsumiko smacked his hand away. She said "You won't find another healer in the Land of Iron. Don't endanger this girl's life just because you're stubborn."

He and Tsumiko stared at one another for quite some time before Sasuke said to me "I'll be back."

"W-Where are you going?" I asked as I handed Sasuke his poncho. Since I was inside of a warm house, I figured that Sasuke would need it more right now.

"To figure out what's going on in this village," he said.

He put on the poncho, closing Tsumiko's door behind him with a slam loud enough to make me flinch.

The old woman sucked on her teeth before pulling up a chair in front of me from the kitchen. She sat down on the chair, taking my ankle in her hand again.

"Did Sasuke wrap this?" she asked.

"Y-Yes, ma'am," I said.

"For a man with one arm, he did a good job."

As she started to unravel the bandage, I asked her "I-I do not mean to pry, but what is your relation to Sasuke? You both seem very… resentful towards one another."

"Sasuke… He killed my son last year," she said.

My eyes widened. "Your son?"

"Yes, though it isn't like he killed him without a reason. My son was involved in a conspiracy against the Land of Fire; more specifically, the Leaf Village. Sasuke discovered the conspiracy, slaying all who were involved; my son included. All the members lived somewhere here in the Land of Iron, but my son was the only one from this village. I don't know about the other families, but Sasuke found out the identity of my son and came here to tell me that he wasn't coming home."

"I'm so sorry," I said.

"Don't be. My son was always a rat and he always got involved in the wrong crowds no matter what I told him… My son had that coming."

"Then why hold so much distain towards Sasuke?" I asked. "If you know the truth, why hold it against him?"

"When you become a parent, you'll understand," she said.

Tsumiko tossed the bandage into a nearby trash can, revealing my swollen ankle. Now that the tightness of the bandage was no longer around it, my ankle felt as though it was throbbing and every touch felt hyper-sensitive.

The old woman created a few hand signs to conjure a portion of concentrated chakra to her hands. Upon release, her hands glowed green and she applied the concentrated chakra to my ankle, causing me to, slowly but surely, feel relief.

Medical ninjutsu may look easy to perform, however it is known to be difficult. The one to perform the jutsu must have extensive control of their charka and a complete understanding on the chakra network system, especially since the user must use their own chakra to heal their target, which can take hours given the extent of the injury. There are many forms of medical ninjutsu ranging from simple healing, to removing poison, to performing surgery, to using it as a weapon, such as concentrating chakra to unleash monstrous strength or creating temporary blades made of chakra. Many underestimate the uses of medical ninjutsu, so when faced in combat with a medical ninja, they are often thrown off guard.

Knowing that this will take several minutes, I asked Tsumiko "I understand why you feel hate for Sasuke, but why does he despise you?"

"He doesn't. He knows how I feel about him so he treats me with equal measure. Sasuke is a good man… I just can't bring myself to get past that he killed my son," she admitted.

"I cannot imagine how hard it must be to interact with the man that took your son's life and I will not attempt to imagine, but you are correct – Sasuke is a good man. Please try to understand that he did not do what he did out of malice, but to protect his home. I am not saying that you should forget what happened, but can you at least try to forgive him?"

"Easier said than done, girl," she said.

She finished healing my leg, motioning me to stand up. According to Sasuke, it has been almost a week since I last walked, so, with the aid of Tsumiko, I stood up from the bed. The coldness of the wooden floor sent shivers up my spine when my bare feet met it, though it did not discourage me from holding my own. Once Tsumiko felt as though I would not fall over from merely standing, she released my hand, encouraging me to take a few steps forward.

I did as she gestured, feeling no pain whatsoever in my left ankle, and after I gained enough confidence, I decided to walk around the small space of her home to get used to the feel of walking again. It did not take me long to relearn how to walk and once I finished practicing, I smiled at Tsumiko.

I bowed before her saying "Thank you so much! I cannot repay you for helping me."

"You don't need to repay me. It's what I do," she said.

"Even so, I feel as though I owe you something."

"If you're so insistent about it, I'll think of something," she said. She then stared at me, observing me. "You must be close to that boy."

"Sasuke?" I asked. "We did not speak to one another in our youth, however, we grew up in the same village. We are not friends, yet we have a connection since we come from the same place. He took care of me when I was vulnerable, and if the time should occur, I will do likewise."

"He seems to care for you quite the sum. I have seen women here fawn over him, but he did not pay them the slightest bit of attention," she said. "You are the only girl that I have seen him interact with, and with such kindness and gentleness, too."

"Many people misunderstand him, even in our own village. Sasuke _is_ kind. It is just that when his mind is set on completing something, he does not let anyone get in his way."

She smiled at me with a knowing glint in her brown eyes. "And yet, he put everything aside to assist you."

"He just wanted to get me back on my feet. Once he returns, we will part ways."

"Oh, girl, you have much to learn about men," she said.

Confused, I said "Huh? I do not-"

From behind me, Tsumiko's door opened, letting in the cold air.

Unprepared for the bitter cold, the wind blew past me, whipping my hair and the loose parts of the kimono around like mad. To acquire some warmth, I crossed my arms over each other and kept my face from looking in that direction. Soon, the door closed and the air abruptly ceased. Feeling a presence behind me, I turned back to find that Sasuke had held up his poncho to shield me from the remaining air invading the house.

"That was quick," I said to him.

"Getting answers was easy," he said.

He then handed me a knapsack and a pair of shinobi boots. I peered into the bag to discover clothing along with a coat.

"T-Thank you, Sasuke," I said with as much gratitude as I could muster.

He gave me a crooked smile as a response.

"So, you found everything you were looking for? Good. Now you can leave," said Tsumiko.

"Before we leave, I have to ask you a few things as well," said Sasuke.

"Like what?" she asked bitterly.

"How long has it been since the villagers have been getting sick?" he asked.

"Is this part of your mission to protect the Land of Fire, or are you just being nosy?" she asked.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Everything I do is to protect the Land of Fire. I would not ask you questions to peek my own curiosity."

"Of course not," she said in defeat. "The townsfolk began falling ill almost a year ago. It stopped for a few months, but then they began falling ill again just recently. I've been doing the best that I can to keep their conditions from becoming worse, but there's only so much I can do as the sole medical ninja in the country."

"Do you know what's causing the illness?" asked Sasuke.

She appeared to be thinking when an idea suddenly came to mind. She said "This might sound ridiculous, but ever since those people came here with that weird contraption, the villagers started getting sick."

"What people?" asked Sasuke.

Tsumiko shrugged her shoulders. "It was four men. I don't remember what they looked like."

"They brought in a weird contraption?" I asked.

"It looked like a giant, golden sphere. They put it in the cave at the village's peak," said Tsumiko.

My heart stopped.

"A g-golden sphere?" I said.

Sasuke looked at me. "You seem to know what that is."

"Weeks ago, Lord Hokage sent Kiba, Shino, and I on a mission to the Village Hidden Among Dreams. There, we found an energy vessel that matches the description of the sphere that Tsumiko provided. The sphere took energy from an unknown source to power a weapon that did damage unlike anything I have ever seen. If the same phenomena is happening here, we need to stop it at once," I said.

"I have seen countless energy vessels around the world throughout my two-year journey and I haven't found a way to destroy them. There's nothing we can do right now," said Sasuke.

"I can destroy them," I said. "I destroyed the vessel at the Village Hidden Among Dreams. Surely, I can destroy this one."

Sasuke masked his surprise. "Before we attempt that, you said the vessel was taking energy from an unknown source? How are you so sure that it was officially destroyed?"

"Not only was it taking energy, it was also distorting my Byakugan. Once I broke the vessel, it stopped pulling energy into the weapon and my Byakugan began to work," I said.

"You searched the village earlier for the villagers and found them. That tells me that your visual jutsu is working properly, but you didn't see the energy vessel?" asked Sasuke.

I shook my head, causing my long hair to jostle. "I can try again."

Sasuke stared at me, contemplating something. Once he made his decision, he told me "Get dressed and meet me outside."

He did not give the chance to respond; he had left the house.

"Good luck with him, girl," said Tsumiko.

I offered her a wry smile before I removed the clothes from the bag.

Inside of it, I was provided with a light lavender sleeveless kimono styled blouse and a purple obi that I could use to tie my shirt together to prevent it from opening. I also received a pair of dark navy shorts, high-thigh stockings, and pair of shinobi boots. After I dressed myself, and draped on the long cream colored coat that covered my entire body, I carefully folded the kimono and placed it inside of the bag.

Just before I exited the house, Tsumiko said "I thought of something that you can do to repay me for healing your ankle."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Destroy that energy vessel and find out who's doing this. This can only spell a recipe for evil intentions."

I nodded my head. "You have my word. Thank you again for helping me."

She smiled sweetly at me. "Be safe, girl."

I met Sasuke outside by the large well at the village's center. When he turned to face me, he looked me over with an unreadable expression and said sincerely "This is much better."

"It feels much better," I agreed.

"The cave is up north. It won't take us long to reach it, but we should make haste; I don't want it to become nightfall. The last thing I need is to stay over the night here with Tsumiko."

"A-Alright…"

I followed behind Sasuke to the cave sitting at the peak of the village to the north, reaching it in approximately twenty minutes. I quickly learned that there was not much to the cave seeming as there were only a handful of tunnels leading to the same spacious area, and at the spacious area rested the energy vessel.

It was identical to the one at the Three-Head's Prison – a floating golden sphere with an eight-pointed star-like symbol at its core. Unlike the first vessel I came across, I did not need to use my Byakugan to see if it was emitting energy; I could feel it all around me.

"Is your vision distorted when you activate your Byakugan?" asked Sasuke.

I unleashed my kekkei genkai trait, focusing my vision on the floating sphere. When I stared directly at the sphere, my sight becomes hazy, yet when I look around it, I could see streams of energy being pulled in from outside of the cave into the vessel just like at the Three-Head's Prison. I could not tell precisely where the energy was coming from, but when I looked through the buildings back at the village, it appeared that the energy is coming from the people.

"How far is your Byakugan able to see?" asked Sasuke.

"Over twenty kilometers," I answered.

"So, that means you can see the village…"

"Yes, and it appears to me that the vessel is siphoning energy out of the residents. I can only guess that is how they are all sick."

"If the vessel is siphoning energy, what is it going to use the stored energy for?"

"I do not know. Whatever it is, it cannot be good," I said.

I approached the golden sphere, activating my Gentle Step: Twin Lion Fists technique, which morphed my wild chakra into lion-like heads around my hands. Rushing forward, I sprung into the air, crashing down on top of the vessel fists first. Seconds after landing safely on the ground, the energy vessel began to crack and soon broke, dispersing into golden dust that scattered all over the cave.

Sasuke rarely exhibits emotions outside of irritation, and this just so happened to be one of those rare moments. He looked genuinely impressed with my work.

He said to me "Yeah, you have change a lot since the last time I saw you, Hinata."

I smiled.


	13. Chapter 13

"I think that these energy vessels are related to Kaguya somehow," said Sasuke.

"How could they be related to her? What she had planned for the Earth does not relate to this at all," I said.

Two years ago, during the Fourth Great Ninja War, the world was put under what was called Infinite Tsukuyomi by men named Madara Uchiha and Obito Uchiha. It was a genjutsu that sprouted an enormous flower with a Rinne Sharingan at its peak to hypnotize the world into a dream-like state where they lived out their lives in a utopia of their choosing. I was a victim of the spell; I had dreamed that my cousin, Neji, was still alive and that Naruto and I were in a relationship. When I awoke from the dream, along with everyone else, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Lord Hokage, who was a Jounin at the time, had stopped Kaguya Otsutsuki.

Though I was not present to witness it first hand, I had heard that Madara was betrayed and sacrificed to revive Kaguya Otsutsuki, the origin of ninjutsu and the matriarch of the Otsutsuki clan. Even though she was the creator of the Infinite Tsukuyomi genjutsu, casting it upon the shinobi world was not her plan, for she had another idea in mind.

Kaguya is the mother of chakra and every single person on this planet has inherited jutsu from her. When she saw that we were using ninjutsu for war, she became angry and declared that she would destroy the world for using her chakra so selfishly. Though the battle was tough, and near impossible to overcome, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Lord Hokage defeated Kaguya, sealing her just as her son, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, did a millennium ago.

Sasuke's suspicion of the energy vessels linking to Kaguya leaves me skeptical because Kaguya wished to eradicate the world for "abusing" her gift. We do not know much about the energy vessels, but they have not given us any indication of the destruction of the world.

"We may not know much about the vessels, but I can't afford to think otherwise. This is one of the few leads I have on my mission," he said as he turned away from me.

I caught Sasuke's arm just before he walked away, asking him "What _is_ your mission?"

"I told you that can't tell you that."

"Y-Yes, though after showing you that I possess the ability to destroy the energy vessels, I would like to think that you would share with me the task given to you by Lord Hokage. You have been gone for two years and you have not gotten anywhere with this mission and it has Sakura worried sick, so-"

"Sakura?" Sasuke snatched his arm out of my hands. "What I am doing has nothing to do with Sakura. If I wanted her to know how I'm doing, I would have sent a letter."

"How can you be like this? She loves you! You know how much she loves you."

He glared down at me. "Love won't help me complete my mission."

Admittedly, his glare made me wince, but I refused to yield. "No, it will not, but it should motivate you to hurry up so that you could go home to see her," I said.

"Why would I do that?"

"Because she loves you," I repeated.

"I don't love her – not in the same way she loves me," he said. "I won't encourage her to continue loving me when I know that it could never be reciprocated."

"B-But…"

"We need to head to the capital. There's going to be a blizzard tonight."

Without waiting for me, Sasuke left the cave, forcing me to chase after him.

Night fell fast and we just made it to the capital when it began to snow fiercely. Sasuke had booked us separate rooms now that my ankle was repaired, but before I entered my room, Sasuke said to me "You are the only person that I know who can even touch the energy vessels. You have to come with me to take out all of them."

My eyes widened as I stared at him in shock. "I-I cannot do that! You know that I must return to the Leaf Village. My family is in danger."

"I know, but if this has any correlation to Kaguya, then the whole world will be in danger."

"This has nothing to do with Kaguya." I turned to open the door to my room when I decided that I should tell Sasuke "You never told me what your mission is and yet you wish for me to accompany you? That is unfathomable."

Entering my room, I attempted to close the door when Sasuke stuck his foot in it to prevent it from closing. He said "One day, I'll tell, but for now, you have to trust me. I would not ask you to join me if I didn't think it would endanger the world."

I stared at him. "You have done a lot for me, which I am grateful for, however, I must save my family. Once I do, will return to assist you."

"Hinata…"

"Goodnight, Sasuke," I said as I moved his foot out of the way of the door.

He did not bother me anymore that night, allowing me to sleep peacefully before I began my journey back to the Land of Fire.

In the morning, the blizzard had stopped, leaving less snow on the ground than I anticipated. I had just packed my bag with the essentials needed to survive my expedition when I heard a knock at the door. The knock sounded vaguely familiar, and I had an inkling to who might be on the other side once I opened it.

Frowning, I swung open the door to find no one other than Sasuke standing there. No surprise, he let himself in.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "If you are here to try to convince me to join you…"

"I'm not here to convince you. I'm here to enlighten you," he said.

"Enlighten me? On what?"

"About what your fiancé has been doing here in the capital."

Closing the door, I decided to listen to what Sasuke had to say.

"I visited the bishop last night to get more information on what happened here prior to Toneri leaving the Land of Iron. It turns out that your fiancé had been using the villagers as test subjects for a weapon he's making."

"A weapon? What kind of weapon and why?" I asked. I could not say that I was surprised given that he possessed a weapon that can erase the Hyuga clan and one that can destroy a body beyond recognition.

"The bishop didn't know. It wasn't like Toneri would reveal his evil plans to one of his victims," said Sasuke.

"I suppose you are right…"

"That's not all I found out," added Sasuke. "In order to power the weapon he was testing on the villagers, he brought in an energy vessel, which siphons the energy out of people within its range. So, I was wrong; Kaguya isn't related to this, meaning that the cause of my mission was misguided from the very start."

"L-Lord Toneri is the cause for the energy vessels? B-But… how? Why?"

"That I can't tell you. But it turns out that our problem is the same – Toneri Otsutsuki. If you're going back to the Leaf Village, I'll go with you, but I suggest that we try to figure out what he's planning before we do. What he has in mind looks like it extends past just the Hyuga clan."

I remained silent, trying to process all that he told me. I knew that my fiancé was a cruel man, though I did not know just how cruel he was.

"You thought that your mission involved Kaguya, but it turns out that it is Lord Toneri. That can only mean he has been premeditating his attempt to marry me, which only happened recently. Within the past two years, what has he been doing? Planting energy vessels around the world?" I said.

"Kakashi discreetly assigned to me the mission after a handful of Anbu Black Ops' best ninjas had gone missing without a trace. This took me to various parts of the world, linking each case to these mysterious energy vessels. I thought that it had been related to Kaguya in some form because the power emanating from the vessels felt similar to Kaguya's power when I fought her, but it turns out that I was wrong," he said.

"It must have felt similar because Lord Toneri must indeed be directly related to Kaguya!" I said.

Sasuke nodded his head. "Now that we know our enemy is the same, I want to ask you again to join me, Hinata."

I hesitated. Sasuke was correct, yet I felt as though the longer I stayed away from my family, the more trouble they would be in. I could not be certain that Lord Toneri was at the Hidden Leaf Village, but I did not want to take my chances.

"Your family is the strongest clan in the Land of Fire. I'm sure they can hold their own until you return," said Sasuke. "Don't you want to come back with all of the evidence you can provide? If you do, it will be enough to land him a cell in the Correctional Facility."

I glanced at Sasuke, showing him my answer from facial expression alone.

He smiled genuinely at me for the first time and I felt my heart skip a beat. Sasuke had always been handsome, and I just noticed how handsome he had become. Many girls fawn over him without getting to know him simply because he has good looks. I, on the other hand, appreciate that he is caring, though he claims he is not, he is generous, and when I was at my weakest, he put me before himself. Those characteristics are what I find attractive in a man.

"Toneri put a vessel under the cathedral," said Sasuke. "Make sure you have all of your belongings because once we destroy that, we're leaving the Land of Iron."

"A-Alright…"

To even think about leaving this snow-covered country felt unreal. While I had not been here very long, I had grown used to listening to my feet crunch on the surface of the snow. Despite that, I was eager to finally reenter warm weather and to see green again, so I chased after Sasuke who had gone ahead and met up inside of the cathedral.

I looked around the large space where the stone statue of their god was displayed. I asked "Where would we even begin to look for the energy vessel under the building?"

Not wanting to use my Byakugan for everything, I decided not to activate it. The cathedral may be large, but finding the path to the vessel should not be too difficult for two desperate shinobis.

"There must be a door leading down to the basement," said Sasuke.

We agreed to split up to search the area to cover more ground. Sasuke searched outside of the building while I checked inside.

I looked around the first floor for what appeared to be five minutes when I chose that there was nothing amiss. In spite of coming to that conclusion, I felt as though something was not quite right about the area, yet I could not directly pinpoint what. Being an elite tracking kunoichi, I glanced around the room once more and found that the God statue in particular was a suspicious area that I did not check, so I inspected it.

Upon inspection, I discovered marks beneath the statute, indicating that it has been moved across the floor. To make sure that it has indeed been moved, I took several paces back to stare at it from a distance. It looked as if the position from when I saw it last has slightly altered, but I could not be certain.

That was when Sasuke walked in.

He told me "I couldn't find anything out of the ordinary around the cathedral."

"That is alright. I believe that I might have found something, though I cannot be certain," I said. "Does the statue's position look altered to you?"

Sasuke stared at it for a few moments when he said "Yeah. Last I saw it, it was centered. Now it looks like it's been moved a little to the left."

"There are also marks on the floor to the side of it."

"Help me move it," he said.

Together, we pushed the stone statue, immediately finding a ladder leading downwards to the basement.

"I'll go down first," said Sasuke.

I embarked down the ladder soon after he did. It led us down at least eight-hundred and twenty-two centimeters below the cathedral to a long narrow hallway illuminated by torches mounted on the walls. The fact that the torches were still lit startled me.

"Stay close to me," said Sasuke.

"I can defend myself. You do not have to protect me," I said.

"I'm not. We don't know who's down here, and you're too valuable to lose."

I tightened my lips. Unfortunately, he is right; I cannot afford to die here.

Stealthily, we advanced down the hallway, eventually noticing that the walls were expanding as we ventured farther, and that the torches were not mounted so closely together as they were previously. I thought that the architecture was odd enough, what with a ladder leading down to a long narrow corridor, when we soon were met by several doors sitting on either side of the hall.

Sasuke and I exchanged glances and understood what he wanted me to do.

Activating my visual jutsu, I searched the areas on the other side of each door, discovering lifeless bodies resting on beds in every room. I found one body clinging to life in one of the last rooms, but just as I opened my mouth to inform Sasuke, the person's chakra network system shut down, thus ending their life.

Taking my eyes from the room, I looked further down the hall to see what awaited us at the end, only to have my vision distort so intensely that I became dizzy, which forced me to deactivate my Byakugan. Shielding my eyes after I deactivated my visual jutsu, I felt myself lose my balance from the sudden vertigo. With a strong, yet gentle, hand, Sasuke reached out, grabbing me by the arm to save me from falling.

"Are you okay?" he asked me.

He stared down at me with such concern that, for the second time today, he made my heart skip a beat.

Slightly flustered, I said "Y-Y-Yes, I am fine. Um, there's an energy vessel at the very end of the hall. The distortion made me dizzy."

"I see…" He released my arm once he knew that I would be fine standing on my own. He then asked me "What's behind the doors?"

My expression turned grim. "Dead bodies. In one of the last rooms, I witnessed their death. We should probably visit that room as soon as we can to figure out what happened to him."

"We should search all the rooms to see if anyone documented what was going on here."

I nodded my head in agreement before we approached our target at the end of the corridor.

Though this vessel was larger than the others, I did not allow the size to deter me as I conjured twin lions around my hands. Jumping as high as the dome-shaped room would let me, I crashed into it just as I had done with the others. The vessels had the same reaction, but since it was larger, more golden dust spread throughout the space, making both Sasuke and I cough from breathing too much in.

Once the dust disappeared, I stopped coughing, however Sasuke did not and I rested a hand on his back in concern.

As soon as his coughing ceased, he said "Let's check out the rooms."

We entered the room where the man I told him died just a few minutes ago to examine his body.

Grazing his hand across the body's bare arm, Sasuke said "He's still warm."

I had already activated my visual jutsu and was examining his chakra network system when Sasuke took the liberty of seeing for himself just how long ago this person passed.

"There is nothing out of the ordinary about his chakra," I said.

Even though I can see through solid objects and the tiniest of details from over twenty kilometers away, sometimes I feel most comfortable using my Byakugan up close. If I missed something crucial in this man's body, I would not be able to forgive myself. As the future leader of my clan, I should not make such amateur mistakes like that.

"To save time, can you use your Byakugan to search the rest of the rooms for documentation?" asked Sasuke.

"Yes, I can do that."

I scanned each room, checking carefully for anything written down on paper, which I soon learned that no one owned paper or storage for that matter, and it was not until I reached the first room we passed by that I found a message carved into the stone wall.

I turned to Sasuke after I deactivated my Byakugan, telling him "I do not think that these people were allowed to own paper, however, I found a message carved on the wall in one of the rooms that says: _Traitor_."

"It could have been someone who worked for your twisted fiancé."

"Perhaps…"

"Either way, we got what we came for. Let's leave."

"W-Wait," I said. "It is very unlikely that the bishop was oblivious to this hiding under the cathedral. We should question him."

"I already did."

Surprised, I said "Y-You did? What happened?"

"He told me that there were a few rooms beneath the cathedral to house people fearing for their lives and that when Toneri came here, he locked the people in their rooms. Shortly after, he installed the vessel. I'm guessing he wanted the people close to use their energy to power whatever weapon he made."

"That makes sense. Where is the bishop now?"

"He's in the capital's hospital. He got sick just like the villagers in Tsumiko's village. Now that the vessel's gone, he should start to feel better soon."

"That's good," I said with a smile.

Sasuke shrugged. "Come on. We've wasted enough time here."

I ignored his agitation, returning to the bitter cold of outside. While it was no longer snowing, the sky was covered in clouds that threatened to drape the Land of Iron in more white powdery death. This kind of weather is rare in the Land of Fire so I should not take this experience for granted, but I cannot help finding myself anticipating the moment I cross the border leading into the Land of Earth so that I can never return.

"Now that you can walk, we should be able to get down the mountain in a matter of hours," said Sasuke.

I stared at him in disbelief. "Is that possible?"

"I have gone up and down this mountain enough times that I can safely say it is possible to get to the bottom in a couple of hours."

"R-Really? How long did it take you to get to me when you knocked me off the mountain side?"

"I didn't time it," he said. "When I realized that it was you I knocked off, I raced after you. You hadn't been lying on the ground for very long when I found you."

"You jumped off the mountain to reach me?" I asked in astonishment.

"It's not as heroic as you might think. My initial thought was that if you die, it'd be by my hand, and I couldn't explain that to Kakashi or your father in a way that wouldn't make me seem like the enemy. After all, you are the Leaf Village's sweetheart."

"O-Oh…" I hid the disappointment that took over me. I had hoped that Sasuke chased after me to save me because he cared. Knowing how selective Sasuke is in choosing who to care for, it was foolish of me to think otherwise. Remembering this, made me feel ridiculous for feeling an attraction for him earlier.

As Sasuke walked towards the exit of the capital, he told me "I'll show you the safest way to descend. Watch me carefully and-"

Sasuke's speech abruptly cut off by a series of coughs.

I rushed to his side asking "Are you alright?"

Once the coughing stopped he said "I'm fine. My throat is just dry."

"Are… Are you certain that is the reason?" I asked.

Now that we know the energy vessels are making people sick, it worried me that Sasuke might have caught whatever the victims were exposed to. While the victims have not been diagnosed, we know that the illness is severe enough to leave whoever is subjugated to it bedridden, and in worst cases it can kill them. If Sasuke has indeed contracted what the energy vessels have been giving out, I do not even want to think of what I would do without him.

Sasuke shot me a glare. "I know what you're thinking. I'm fine."

The fierceness of his glare made me take a step back as I held my hands up in capitulation, indicating that I would not bring it up again. Despite that, as I followed him to the mountain side we climbed up a couple of days ago, I made a mental note to keep an eye on him should he express any alarming symptoms.

As shinobis, our anatomy is more advanced than that of an average villager. We can endure extreme blows of damage such as falling from a high place and receiving heavy hits, we are able to jump much higher, our balance is impeccable, and, as long as we have chakra to spare, our stamina is near inexhaustible. So, in truth, we can lunge off the top of the mountain to get to the bottom without injury if we wished, but if we were to land the wrong way, we could break enough bones to render us immobile. Since we are behind enough as it is, Sasuke would rather not take that risk, especially because I just recovered.

After we jumped over the capital's large stone wall, we walked past the small forest of leafless trees to reach the edge of the mountain. Once there, I peered over the side to see how far down we had to go, making all of the doubt I had earlier turn into hope. We only had about six kilometers to descend.

"Watch carefully," said Sasuke.

When we graduated from the Academy, one of the very first lessons that our mentor teaches us is one of the ways on how to control chakra, which is by concentrating it to a specific area in the body. Mastery of chakra concentration will allow the user to walk up walls, trees, buildings, and to walk across water. The chakra acts as a glue that is strong enough to hold the user on what they are attached to so long as they have sufficient chakra.

Concentrating chakra to his feet, Sasuke hopped several meters down the mountain, landing on a lone rock jutting out from the side of the alp. Safely standing on the rock, Sasuke looked up at me and motioned me to join him.

I pushed any fear that might have been lingering in my head to the back of my mind, concentrated an ample amount of chakra to my feet, and jumped off the mountain.

After years of intense training, I knew that my chakra control was perfect, yet I could not help feeling a small amount of anxiety as I lunged off the top of the alp. The cold wind constantly nipped at my skin as I rapidly came crashing down until I landed securely on the surface of my choosing. I did not let myself rest there for long though. Even though my skin hurt from the frigid air, as soon as my feet hit the ground, I jumped down the side of the mountain again and again until I met up with Sasuke.

Now standing beside him, I noticed that he was short of breath while I barely broke a sweat despite travelling the same distance. Concerned, I opened my mouth to ask how was feeling, but he descended before I received the chance. Nevertheless, I followed after him, taking care to stick close should he take a turn for the worse.

Sasuke never slowed down even when I noticed that his condition was becoming serious. I wanted to say something, but I knew he would argue with me. We did not have much more to go to reach the bottom, so I prayed silently that we would be able to get to the safety of the ground before anything dire occurred.

Unfortunately, just as that thought crossed my mind, I saw Sasuke lose his footing on one of the rocks, sending him spiraling down the side of the alp. Heart racing, my mind went blank as I recklessly dove after him.


	14. Chapter 14

I could not think of anything else. All I could think of was reaching Sasuke before he hit the bottom. I did not care if I lost a limb or if I might mortally injure myself in the process so long as I could save him.

The icy wind cut against the unprotected skin on my face as I raced as fast as I could to outmatch the speed of which he was descending, but I did not care. I barely even realized the pain when Sasuke's fate occupied every fiber of my thoughts and concerns, and soon I found myself closing in on him.

Close to the bottom, yet far enough to save ourselves, I managed to grab him. Holding him tight against me, I concentrated chakra to my feet and, with much effort, I drew us close enough to the side of the alp so that I could slow our fall by planting the base of my feet to the wall of it, to which I accomplished successfully.

Much to my dismay, though I expected it, we were still falling too fast. Because of the velocity at which we were declining, simply attaching my feet to the wall of the mountain was not enough, so while I held Sasuke close to me with one arm, I used my other to concentrate chakra in the form of a blade, and with as much strength as I could muster, I stabbed the alp. This action decreased the speed of our descent slightly, yet not enough for me to gain control of the situation. Realizing that there was not much I could do here, I shut my eyes tightly, hoping that we would slow down at some point. While the fall will not kill us, it most certainly will hurt me more than it will hurt Sasuke.

Then, as if my prayers had been answered, I felt us slowing down. To quickly get us to the safety of the ground, I pushed myself off the mountain using the strength of my legs, and I let us fall hundreds of meters until we landed on the snow.

I would have been able to land on my feet when I hit the ground, but the added weight of Sasuke knocked me to the ground, so I laid there in the snow with his body on top of mine and his head resting on my bosom.

And within that moment, much like a scripted film, Sasuke woke up.

Face on fire from embarrassment, my eyes locked with his as I emboldened myself to say what mattered most at this time, which was "A-Are you alright?"

He held his head as he grimaced and said "Yeah. I just blacked out."

The way that he said it made it seem like it was inconsequential, so, feeling upset with his attitude, I told him "You scared me, Sasuke. You not only lost consciousness, you fell off the mountain! Words cannot describe how frightened I felt when I saw you slip. I had to jump off the mountain to catch you."

Sasuke observed our current setting, and I watched as realization hit him when he took notice that he was lying on top of me. He did not share the same reaction that I had upon discovering our misleading position. Instead, after furrowing his eyebrows, Sasuke said "You should have let me fall."

Eyes wide, I said "I would never do that! Why would you even say that?"

"Your life matters more than mine. If you die, then there will be no one else to finish what we started."

"I understand how important this is, especially since my bloodline is in jeopardy, however, we need to know our limits. You are not well!"

"I feel fine," he insisted.

"You are not 'fine' at all! You, an elite ninja, lost your footing on a mountain you claim to have climbed several times! Something is wrong." I paused. "Let me examine you."

"What?"

"Let me examine you," I repeated.

Sasuke glared at me.

"Regardless of whether you want me to or not, I will examine your chakra network system, and I have plenty of chances to do so by merely walking behind you."

After sucking on his teeth, Sasuke stood up, allowing me to follow suit. I activated my Byakugan, studying every inch of his system, when I soon noticed something amiss about the flow of his chakra. The difference was barely noticeable, forcing me to search meticulously to see that his chakra was thinner than the average shinobi. I could not recall a moment when my Byakugan met such a thin network particularly produced specifically by Sasuke, so looking back to when I reunited with Sasuke, I can safely say that his nodes are smaller than they were previously. What this means: I do not know. All I can say is that this cannot mean anything good.

"Something is amiss with your networking," I said. "Surely, you must feel a difference in your body?"

"I do," he admitted, "but it isn't enough to keep me from progressing."

Sasuke attempted to walk past me, but I stopped him by placing a hand on his chest. Staring up at him, I said "You cannot go on like this without some form of treatment. If you have what the villagers had, then you could die. Do you understand how urgent this is?"

"I'm fine," he said.

"On the outside," I mentioned. "You must have already forgotten that I can also see how you are slowly deteriorating on the inside. Sasuke, if you die…"

"I won't," he said with confidence. "Let's decide what to do when we reach the next village." Sasuke cupped my cheek, causing me to jolt at the sudden action as he grazed his thumb across my skin. "I used up the last of my medical supplies on your ankle, so when we get to the Hidden Frost Village, I'll clean the cut you have. It'd be a shame if you got a scar on your face."

I found it difficult to tear my eyes from Sasuke as he touched my face; I had never been so captivated by a man before. It was when I found myself blushing so hard that I felt as though I might faint, that I managed to tear my gaze away, hence, breaking away from his touch.

I placed my hand on the spot he had his prior to pulling away. "I-It is just a scratch… Do not worry about me; you are the priority when we arrive at the next village."

After I caught sight of Sasuke smirking mischievously in my peripheral, I could only wonder how he could make a face so full of such… adoration for me. This is a side of Sasuke I had never known, and I pondered if this is the reason why Sakura fell so hard for him.

It took two days to reach the Hidden Frost Village from the base of the mountain, and throughout the journey, I took care to watch Sasuke. He coughed constantly during the night, he had less stamina, and there were moments where I had to support him because he had some trouble standing on his own. Given that his condition was not stable enough to endure such a long, harsh peregrination, I tried to convince him numerous times to take a break or wait for me to return to him with medical advice from Tsumiko. Every time I offered, he refused. I was forced to assist him along our journey, and thanks to his strong will, we eventually made it to the Hidden Frost Village.

With his right arm slung around my shoulders, Sasuke walked slowly beside me as he breathed heavily from exhaustion.

"We need to find an inn. I do not know how much more you can take," I said.

"Fine," he said almost breathlessly.

Though his answer was short and full of agitation, it was the first compliant response he gave me in the past two days.

The Hidden Frost Village is a small town located close to the border of the Land of Earth that is covered in a light blanket of snow and is known to own an abundance of frozen bodies of water. Unlike the other regions in the Land of Iron, this village does not receive much snowfall and is instead subjugated to hailstorms and raining sleet. This in turn, often covers the ground and houses in a sheet of ice, which is how the Frost Village received its name.

It was not hard to locate the inn, though I noticed many people stared at us on our way there. This would not have bother me much for not the fact that they whispered amongst themselves whilst staring, making me wonder what they were talking about.

Upon seeing us, the innkeeper booked us a room immediately, handing us medical supplies to use in the hopes of stabilizing Sasuke since the nearest medical-nin lived hundreds of kilometers away.

I helped Sasuke to the bed in the small room after taking off his poncho. Once removed, I noticed that Sasuke's body was beginning to break out in a sweat and now that I was looking at him closely, his skin appeared to be paler than usual.

Pressing the back of my hand to his forehead, I deduced that he has a fever.

"You are too ill to move forward," I said.

"No, I can still walk," he insisted.

He attempted to sit up from the bed but I pushed him back down. I said "You need rest and medical attention." I picked up the first aid kit prior to sitting down on a chair next to the head of the bed. Anticipation filled me as I opened the box, but that soon turned to mortification as I sifted through the contents of the box the innkeeper gave us. Nevertheless, I smiled reassuringly at Sasuke. "Even though there is not much here to help you, I will do the best that I can."

Sasuke blinked at me. "You don't have to force yourself to smile; I'm not a kid that needs false hope. I already know how bad this is."

"Regardless, I will do the best that I can," I repeated. "If you insist that I stop giving you false hope, I must tell you to stop trying to be strong all of the time."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

"It means that even strong shinobis have limits and that only the strongest know when their limits are met. Everyone who knows about you knows that you are an elite ninja that can instill fear in those who challenges you, but they fail to know how stubborn and thick-skulled you are. If you continue to live on like this, you will meet your end. Out of all the dangers you have concurred and endured, do you really wish to be eliminated by a fever?"

I saw Sasuke clench his jaw as he began to contemplate what his answer should be. Moments later, he asked me "What's in the box?"

Relieved that he was not going to fight with me, I pulled out a towel and a small pill jar containing fast acting fever reducers.

I said "What is happening to you is beyond what a wet towel and pills can cure, but it should stall the symptoms long enough for you to see a doctor in the Land of Earth."

"No doctors," he said.

"What do you mean 'no doctors'? We do not have time for this, Sasuke."

"Exactly. We don't have time. If I get admitted to a hospital, you'll have to continue the mission by yourself."

"I can complete the mission without you. I am strong enough to take care of myself," I said.

"I have no doubts about that, but I would feel better knowing that you have someone accompanying you that will protect you. If I'm not there with you, I will… worry about you," he said.

I felt my face soften at learning how he feels. Though he expressed how caring he could be towards me through actions, he never said so with words.

"As surprising as this may seem, I consider you to be a reliable ally – a friend, if you will," said Sasuke with a pink face.

"A… a friend?" I said. This knowledge filled me with happiness, but along with it came disappointment. Though small, I had feelings for Sasuke that extends beyond friendship. Learning that I am a companion makes me feel like I have been rejected even though I have not confessed what I am feeling for him. Despite that, with a smile, I told him "I am grateful to be considered a friend."

When I stood up from the chair, Sasuke immediately asked me "Where are you going?"

I gestured to the towel in my hand. "This towel will not do much while it is dry." From my knapsack, that now rested on the floor by the foot of the bed, I pulled out my water canteen. I handed it to Sasuke along with a pill to reduce his fever before informing him that I was going to the bathroom across the hall to wet the towel.

Closing the door behind me, I walked to the restroom a few meters down the hall. I only required the sink so I decided to leave the door open as I drenched the towel in lukewarm water. Just as I was about to exit the bathroom, I heard voices from the lobby that made me rethink joining Sasuke so soon. When I stopped to listen to what they were saying, I felt my heart sink.

I heard the innkeeper ask "Are you sure he's the man you're looking for?"

A man with a deep voice said "Yeah, he's definitely the one. The people who saw him described him perfectly."

The voice belonging to a woman said "They said that a girl was with him and that he looked like he was injured. I don't remember there being a girl the last time we fought him."

The man with the deep voice said "No, he was alone."

A new voice – another man – said "It doesn't matter. If she's helping him, we'll kill her too. Sasuke Uchiha is injured. We can't pass this opportunity up."

Without making a sound, I quickly returned to our room, locking the door behind me.

Sasuke instantly knew something was amiss as soon as I reentered the room. He asked me "What's going on?"

"We need to leave now," I said.

"Why?"

"You're being hunted by ronin. They are in the lobby plotting to kill us."

Ronin are rogue ninjas that abandoned their villages to pursue activities that most countries frown upon such as treason, black marketing, and human trafficking. Whatever grudge they harbor against Sasuke might relate to a crime he stopped.

Sasuke sprang up from the bed, losing his balance from dizziness. I caught him and supported him by placing a hand on his back and chest as he held onto my shoulder.

"I'm fine. Let's sneak out through the window," said Sasuke.

With effort, I opened the sole window in the room that had been coated in ice. The sound of the ice breaking apart created a lot of noise so it did not surprise me that once the villagers noticed us that they began to watch us with curiosity. Regardless, I passed through first and then I helped Sasuke.

"The medicine's beginning to work now," he told me after he strayed from my support. "Let's focus on getting to the Hidden Stone Village in the Land of Earth."

My eyes widened. "That is a long trip! Can you handle that?"

"I will do whatever is necessary. If the ronin you mentioned are who I think they are, then we're in trouble. I'm in no condition to fight them and you can't defeat them on your own."

I nodded my head in understanding. "They are bound to notice soon that we are no longer at the inn. If we must move with haste we will be able to reach the village in a few hours."

Sasuke and I sprinted south towards the Land of Earth at full speed, crossing the border within a couple of hours. Now in a new region, I noticed that the temperature spiked exceptionally, thus prompting me to remove my coat as we entered the country. While the Land of Iron is notorious for its brutal cold, the Land of Earth is known for its dry, windy weather. The country is closed off from the rest of the world by a large jagged mountain of rocks that extends across the entirety of the land, so in order to move forward from the Land of Earth, Sasuke and I must get through the mountain.

I had heard once from a native from the Land of Earth a couple of years ago that there is a secret path that goes through the mountain so that you do not have to climb over it, but it is near impossible to find unless you know the Land of Earth's territory or if you have excellent tracking skills. Normally I would just simply climb over the mountain, but with Sasuke worsening, I will have no choice but to use my Byakugan to locate it.

Nearing the Hidden Stone Village, I told Sasuke "We are almost there."

Panting from exhaustion, he said "We aren't going to the village."

Confused, I said "What? Back at the Frost Village, you said-"

"The villagers were listening so I had to give them false information. We're going beyond that to the Land Hidden Behind Waterfalls."

I approached him. "You can't make it that far."

"Would you stop telling me what I can't do? If you want to live, we're going there," he said.

"If _you_ want to live, we will stop by the Hidden Stone Village. The Tsuchikage is indebted to you for saving the world. Surely he will offer protection from the ronin chasing you while you get examined at the hospital."

There are five great countries in the world: the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, the Land of Water, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Lightning. Like the Hokage of the Land of Fire, the Tsuchikage is the leader of the Land of Earth. And just as the Land of Fire and Land of Earth, the other countries also have leaders ruling over and protecting their land. While the five great nations have not been allies for long, and our past has been proved to be filled with more hate and betrayal than friendship and cooperation, our bond is strong since we all worked together as a whole to stop an even greater threat during the Fourth Great Ninja War.

"We don't have time, Hinata. We need to-" Sasuke stumbled forward, cutting off his speech.

Heart shooting down to the pit of my stomach, I quickly reached out to him to catch his fall. Immediately, I noticed that his skin was clammy and pale, and that his body was shaking in my hold despite the support I was giving him.

"Sasuke, please," I begged.

I locked my eyes with his, hoping that my desperation would convince him to see reason. His expression shifted to a softer one, and just when I thought that was going to give in to my plea, a familiar voice called out from behind us.

"Oh ho! Seems like you didn't get as far as you hoped!" shouted out the voice of a woman.

I felt the color drain from me when I turned around to meet the people from the inn. They were sprinting towards us at full speed with the intent to murder glistening in their eyes.

"Hold onto me and promise me that you will not let go to spare my life over yours," I said to Sasuke.

Sasuke sucked on his teeth in annoyance, but he complied anyway.

Hooking his arm around my shoulders, and after I held onto his waist, we sprinted forward as fast as we could.

With three people chasing us, it was difficult to keep our pace and outrun them, especially when we had to avoid the kunai knives they threw at us. Knowing that in our predicament we could not outmatch their speed, I activated my Byakugan to search for the narrow path among the mountain we were rapidly approaching in the hopes of losing them. Luckily, I easily found the opening and we entered it with the rogue shinobi following suit.

Having to flee with Sasuke directly at my side, maneuvering between the space of the mountain proved to be challenging. While there were many spaces where we were able to run next to each other, the spots where we could not, slowed us down substantially, causing us to push ourselves even harder to escape the shinobis quickly closing in on us.

Fortunately, we eventually met a break where we were met by a fork in the road. With my Byakugan, I saw this coming before we even entered the small space, and knew which one to travel through upon arrival, so, taking Sasuke, we slipped through the narrow passage which was sure to lead us to the exit on the other side. We ran through as fast as our bodies would allow, realizing at some point in our escape that no more footsteps could be heard closing in from behind us. Had not been for my visual jutsu, I would have been fooled to believe that no one was pursuing us; however, I saw the woman following us.

"The men took the wrong path, but the woman is still chasing us," I mentioned.

"Stop running," said Sasuke.

Unable to believe what I heard, I asked "W-What?"

"She's alone. Now is our chance to take her out."

I shook my head. "No."

Knowing that I would not abide by his wishes, Sasuke broke free from me. At first he lost his footing when he now had to support himself, but he soon gained his equilibrium back, and he activated his visual jutsu: a Sharingan in his right eye and a Rinnegan in his left as he waited for our threat to appear.

The Rinnegan is a purple eye with a ripple pattern that spreads over the eyeball. Unlike most jutsu that is inherited through blood, such as the Byakugan and the Sharingan, the Rinnegan does not belong to a clan and is instead gifted to very few by the spirit of Hagoromo Otsutsuki. When Sasuke was on the brink of death during the war, Hagoromo visited Sasuke and turned his left Sharingan into a Rinnegan by giving him half of his chakra. Because of that, the war was won.

The Rinnegan has a wide range of abilities, and depending on the user, those abilities vary. Sasuke in particular can shift spaces within close proximity of himself and create portals to other dimensions. In a general sense, the Rinnegan is able to see chakra, chakra flow, and chakra nodes, but they cannot see that through smoke and it cannot see as well as the Byakugan. Users can also master any jutsu from the five natures (fire, earth, water, wind, and lightning) with ease. There are other abilities it possesses such as repulsing and attracting targets, summoning animals, and absorbing chakra, but the range of techniques is so large that it is hard to keep track of them all.

I held onto Sasuke's arm, tugging him down the narrow path.

He did not budge.

"Please, Sasuke. You cannot fight her in your condition," I said.

He did not respond, choosing to lock his sights on the direction of our enemy.

"At least let me fight her. I can do it," I said.

"That will take too long," he said.

I felt my heart begin to race from panic at the anticipation of what might happen if Sasuke were to engage a duel.

"Please…" I said once more.

"There you are!" shouted the woman pursuing us.

Kunai in hand, the woman lunged high into the air. As she came back down ready to strike, I moved forward to step in front of Sasuke, but he pushed me back so hard that I hit the ground.

I sprung to my feet almost as fast as I fell with the full intent of rushing towards the ronin, however, by the time I got to my feet, I saw Sasuke raise his hand in the direction of the woman and I knew that I was too late.

Electricity coursed through his arm, sending out a large surge of lightning from his hand. The woman evaded the attack that was sure to bring her death, but she could not avoid the onslaught of rocks crashing down from the impact of the lightning. One hit her on the head, causing her to fall to the ground, and, unable to recover in time, the slough of boulders to follow made her meet her end. They not only crushed her body, they also blocked the path her partners would take to find us.

The sigh of relief that I breathed once witnessing the ronin meet her demise was short-lived when I saw Sasuke's visual jutsu deactivate and his eyes roll to the back of his head. Once I took notice to his body turning limp, I rushed to catch him before he landed on the ground. Now in my arms, my blood ran cold upon realizing that Sasuke was not breathing.


	15. Chapter 15

"S-Sasuke?" I said weakly.

It felt like the world stopped spinning as everything around me happened in slow motion. As I looked down at Sasuke, I found it easy to believe that none of this was real. Nothing felt real. This had to be a dream. The man in my arms – my friend – could not be dead. That notion, in and of itself, made no sense even in the slightest, simplest form. Sasuke is not allowed to die…

My nose suddenly grew stuffy and I felt the sensation of a lump forming in my throat that is usually associated with when I am about to begin crying. My breath became short and it hastened as the beat of my heart picked up a pace rapid enough to give me chest pain. The sound around me muffled as less of what was happening made sense to me, and I felt as though I was dying.

"This cannot be real," I thought to myself.

Just when I felt myself breaking down, a voice in my head told me _"Do not give up."_

Then, in that moment, the world returned to normal as I regained my composure. This was not the time to break down; I had to use my head to save his life. So, with my heart pumping and my hands shaking, I fought hard to hold back my tears and to push any hindering emotions to the back of my mind. I thought of anything that I might have learned in my experience of being a kunoichi that could help Sasuke, and after remembering a technique that Sakura taught me when she first started learning medical ninjutsu, I gently laid Sasuke on his back on the ground in front of me immediately to perform it.

I inhaled and exhaled to prepare myself to perform what she called cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Sakura had said that executing this can break a few ribs, however, that should not stop one from continuing the technique so long as it saves someone. I have only done this once three years ago on a practice dummy, so I forced myself to recall all of the steps to execute this correctly and efficiently.

After opening his mouth, I tilted Sasuke's head back, lifting his chin as I did so. The next step would be to check for breathing, and since I already knew he was not, I moved onto the following step, which was to breathe into his mouth. Once I pinched his nostrils closed, I placed my mouth on his, breathing hard enough into it to make his chest rise. Upon completion, I put my hands on top of the other in the middle of his chest and I braced myself for what was to come.

Using my body weight to add strength and speed to my compressions, I pushed repeatedly on his chest as hard and as fast as I could. Sakura said that one must attempt to deliver one-hundred compressions per minute so I did just that. When I finished delivering the compressions, I removed my hands from Sasuke, listened for breathing, and when I discovered that he was not breathing yet, I pinched his nose and tilted his head back once more to breathe air into his lungs. Immediately after that, I resumed the compressions. I repeated this until I saw results.

It took several minutes before I saw signs of life, but once I did, I felt as though life was breathed back into me as well. Alive, yet still unconscious, I checked Sasuke thoroughly to make sure that he was well enough to be moved. In normal circumstances, I would not have moved him and I would have decided to made camp here until he recovered completely, but we were being pursued so I had to get him as far away from here as possible.

Sasuke is taller than me, resting over one-hundred and eighty-two centimeters, while I rest at one-hundred and sixty-three centimeters, so I found it rather difficult to travel with him in his current state. He is not too heavy for me to support, but he is quite tall. As I pressed forward with his arm around my shoulders and my hand at his waist, I realized that his legs were dragging along the ground. I would not worry about it if not for our pursuers. Surely they will see the marks Sasuke's legs are leaving behind, causing them to find us, so I limited our walking to a minimum by using chakra concentration to allow me to jump from wall to wall in the narrow passageway.

The closest village is the Hidden Stone Village, but I can no longer get inside now that the route leading to it is closed off by boulders. I could climb the mountain, but with how it is structured, getting over it is a feat that will hinder our progress as opposed to facilitating it. So, to determine where to go next, I activated my visual jutsu to see where the path will take us. Relief washed over me when I discovered that the path will take us to the Land of Waterfalls.

If the ronin follow us down this path to the Hidden Waterfall Village within the Land of Waterfalls, they will more than likely assume that our course of action is to find an inn at the village so that Sasuke could recover. With that in mind, I decided to sprint as quickly as I could towards the country, but I did not plan on entering the village. To enter the village, we must venture through the Cave of Waterfalls, which is an underground cave littered with an abundance of winding pathways, but only a few connect to the village. I plan on taking Sasuke to a remote waterfall on the outskirts of the village to recuperate.

It usually takes the average shinobi two days or slightly less to reach the Land of Waterfalls from the Land of Earth, but that is only if urgency is nonexistent. I, however, do not have the luxury of resting, not when men are chasing us and not when Sasuke is in serious need of medical attention. I grew tired during the peregrination, though I refused to stop no matter how exhausted I became. It was tough to keep going while fatigued, but I eventually reached my destination once night fell.

Beyond the waterfall laid a moderately sized aperture that I knew would keep Sasuke hidden from the bloodthirsty ronin. I gently rested Sasuke down on the ground of the aperture, providing his head some comfort by lying it on the coat he gave me. I folded the coat as many times as I could to give him an ample amount of comfort, and as I sat by his side, staring at him, I wondered if he could feel it.

Despite harboring a fever, sickly pale skin, and a body covered in perspiration, his breathing was steady and his face looked peaceful. He may be stable for now, but it could only be a matter of time before he stops breathing again or displays new symptoms, so, to figure out what is going on inside of his body, I activated my Byakugan.

His nodes are still thin, though they now appeared to be thinner than what I saw a couple of days ago. Looking beyond that, I directed my attention towards the area where our chakra generates – our lower abdomen. At first I saw nothing, but as I inspected further, I noticed that the color of his chakra was slightly darker than it should be. I thought back to every abnormality pertaining to chakra that I learned about in my childhood, and thanked the heavens when I remembered what illness he had.

The good news is that Sasuke has chakra poisoning and the cure can be found only in this country. The bad news is, the herbs required to cure this illness are spread out in the far north, east, west, and south of the country in the woods that surround the Hidden Waterfall Village, and they are extremely rare. While not impossible to acquire, they will be frustrating to attain.

Chakra poisoning is an illness acquired through constant contact with a foreign airborne substance that compromises the chakra network system. It causes the victim to have trouble breathing, periodic moments where they lose consciousness, occasional fevers, lack of stamina, and it thins out the chakra nodes within the body, which if the victim afflicted with chakra poisoning uses a jutsu, it will deplete a hefty supply of chakra from the user, often causing them to faint, incapacitate them, or, in extreme cases, kill them.

Sasuke was one of those extreme cases…

I clenched my fists, angry that he must go through this suffering. If not for the energy vessels, then he would not be in this predicament. He would not have had to overexert himself to keep up with me. He would not have almost died.

I knew that I needed rest, but I could not do so with Sasuke in this state. He needed the cure for the poison immediately, so I left the cave and headed towards the Hidden Waterfall Village to search for the herbs.

With the help of my Byakugan, I easily found my way through the cave and I entered the village without incident. Given that it is night time, not many people were bustling through the village. I had hoped that the general store was open so that I may gain more information on the herbs I needed, but the store was closed and the owner was nowhere in sight.

Knowing that it will take me several hours to locate the herbs on my own even with the help of my bloodline trait, I decided to head west to obtain one of the four herbs – the herb of spirit, seishin no habu.

From what I can recall, it is a small, blue plant that grows underneath a large maple tree. This might be the easiest to find out of the four since rumor has it that the seishin herb glows when hit with moonlight. I knew that I would reach the area it resided before the sun rose, but I sprinted as fast as I could to find the herb anyway.

The Hidden Waterfall Village is surrounded by a forest that has very few landmarks to show the average person where they are, so I had my Byakugan activated at all times to prevent myself from getting lost. It also aided me in locating the herb, which I managed to find much faster than I expected.

Now five kilometers away from the seishin herb, my vision suddenly distorted, telling me that an energy vessel was somewhere nearby. I cursed under my breath in agitation as I scanned the area to find where the vessel was hiding, soon locating it not far from where I initially saw the herb.

Quickly, yet cautiously, I headed towards the vessel deeper in the forest.

When I came close enough to my target to see if any threats were guarding it, I realized that it was sitting out in the open without any protection. This peeked my curiosity. The other vessels I encountered were tucked in the back of caves or underground where they are out of the sight of the public eye. This is the only one out in the open where anyone passing by can see it, so why is it sitting there unprotected?

I did not have time to wait and ponder on the idea of the chance of someone watching over it, so I approached the vessel, leaving my guard up as I did so. Now in front of the golden sphere, I listened to make sure that no one was approaching me, and when I found that no one was coming, I attacked the vessel, breaking it into dust. Once it was destroyed, I activated my Byakugan to be sure that no other vessel lingered in the area. I soon discovered that there were none nearby, but when I focused my vision twelve kilometers to the north, my sight distorted again. After furrowing my eyebrows, I decided that I will destroy it before I search for the herb in that area.

The west of the Land of Waterfalls is predominantly covered with maple trees, each harboring very minute differences to tell the other apart. It is said that the maple tree that the seishin herb grows under looks identical to the other trees around it during the day, but at night the leaves have a blue hue to them when touched by moonlight. Given how much the tree will stand out in the midst of night, one would assume that finding it would be easy; however, it is not. People exaggerated how much both the tree and the herb glowed, and when I reached the seishin herb, I was left disappointed in how little they illuminated.

Regardless, the appearance of it was not what I needed, so I picked it and placed it securely in my knapsack. With no other business required here, I prepared myself to head north when I froze.

Someone was watching me.

Remaining still, I scanned the area with my visual jutsu. I saw no one, but I still felt eyes on me in the depth of the forest. Whoever was watching did not have a chakra network system, which told me that they were not human. I could not afford to engage in physical combat right now, not with Sasuke suffering alone, so I dashed north in the hopes of losing my stalker in the trees.

The second ingredient is called the herb of life, jinsei no habu. It resides on a hill so tall that it overlooks the forest and the Waterfall Village. Sparkling in its wake, it gains life through direct sunlight, but when the sun goes down, the herb is very difficult to find. Without the sun shining on it, it becomes dormant and it is often mistaken for an ordinary plant, but it is said by those with visual jutsu that it glows blue like the color of chakra whenever the sun is not present. Unfortunately, when I tried to search for it, my vision became twisted from the energy vessel, meaning that I would have to break it in order to find the jinsei herb.

Crossing over rivers and passing by countless trees, I did my best to lose my unknown pursuer. They were persistent, chasing me relentlessly for many kilometers, but in the long run they could not keep up with me, and they suddenly stopped following me. After they had left, I wondered who had been chasing me. If it were the ronin, they would have chased me with unrelenting aggression, but this one seemed to have just been watching me, leading me to think that they never had the intention of fighting me.

Soon, I entered the jinsei herb's domain, heading to the energy vessel with immediate urgency. I spent little time planning on how to approach it when I realized that this one had no one guarding it despite its exposing position, and I disposed of it just as I did the others by hitting it with an impact so great that it shattered into golden dust.

With the aid of my Byakugan, I found the jinsei herb easily. Had I not used my visual jutsu, I would have passed it by, especially since it rested relatively close to where the vessel once stood. Without my visual jutsu, it truly looked like a regular plant, but as soon as I had the plant in my line of sight while my kekkei genkai was active, it glowed blue just as the rumors claimed. Happy to have found it, I carefully picked it, putting in my bag next to the seishin herb.

Having two herbs out of four in my possession, I sprinted towards the east just as the sun was beginning to rise to find the herb of recuperation, kaifuku no habu.


	16. Chapter 16

The kaifuku herb is a plant that is said to stand out more so than any other plant in the forest surrounding the village. Having the name "herb of recuperation" would cause many to believe that this one has the appearance of something that looks soothing to the touch, or something friendly. Unfortunately, this herb looks nothing like that.

While the other herbs' appearance responds to the time of day, the kaifuku herb does not. It is a red small plant that grows in pairs rather than individually, and instead of gaining energy from the sun or moon, this herb receives life from shinobis. As a shinobi passes by the plant while it is still rooted in the ground, the herb's thorns on the stem harden and cut exposed skin, thus absorbing a modest amount of chakra to keep itself alive.

Hundreds of years ago when war was common, there were an abundance of kaifuku herbs within this country. The reason why they are now rare is that when shinobis who participated in the war would hide from or stalk their enemies, the profusion of herbs in that area would attack the shinobis at once, sucking more than half of their chakra in one sitting. This posed a problem since when they would enter battle unprepared, the result of defeat would follow in suit, so the lord of the Land of Waterfalls ordered all shinobis to dispose of the herbs. Even to this day when shinobis are walking through the forest, they would destroy the herb to prevent them from taking their chakra even whilst knowing how rare they are.

This herb is approaching extinction, and since the herb holds no special qualities in terms of appearance, I cannot use my Byakugan to locate it, which can only mean that luck and patience are key to finding it. I already know that it resides to the west of the village near the outskirts of the country, but the area is so large that overlooking such a small plant is very likely to occur. The only lead that I have in terms of finding where it grows is by using the knowledge I learned in the Academy about when the lord of the Land of Waterfalls ordered the shinobis to destroy them. The environment more than likely has changed since then, but I found it worth a try to start there.

Despite my growing exhaustion, I reached the west within thirty minutes and I even found the area described in the Academy. My assumptions were right – the area has changed over the years (the only differences including a man-made river, a few small craters from war, and some evolved trees), though it still holds many similarities to the photo shown to us. I searched the area as quickly and as thoroughly as I could, and I even looked over the same places several times, but I found none. When I decided to move on to another section of the west, I became somewhat hopeful of finding it.

Though the only known domain the kaifuku herb grows in is the west, I noticed in the pictures from the Academy that the herb never grew in an isolated field; it always thrived close to plants of its kind or other plants such as trees, bushes, and even flowers. At this point, obtaining it felt near impossible, however, knowing that it does not grow out in the open limits the extent of my search.

I checked every tree, bush, and collection of flowers that I came across, hoping and praying that I could find at least one herb. This took me all over the western side of the country and I spent hours trying to locate the herb to no avail. I became frustrated with how long this was taking me, and for a moment, I wondered if the herb had already become extinct.

I put that thought out of my mind as quickly as I let it in as I continued the search. I was on my hands and knees in the dirt, sweating from the heat the sun produced and the exertion I had been putting myself through, but I never stopped looking.

Then, just as I was about to move on to another area, I felt something cut my wrist somewhere in the tall grass. Drawing my arm back from the sudden pain, I examined my flesh wound, and excitement filled me upon realization. I had found the kaifuku herb!

Someone had flattened the herbs around it, leaving one sole herb in the vicinity. Hastily, I plucked it, placing it in my bag along with the other herbs, and I tried hard not to get too excited because I knew of the lethal properties of the last herb that lies in the south.

The herb of death, shi no habu, is a pitch-black plant that resides to the south of the country. The reason why it is called the herb of death is because it is very toxic, though only during the day. At night, the potency of the toxins dilute, giving anyone who wishes to pick it full reign to do so, but even then one must be cautious. While the sun is shining, the outside of the shi herb is covered in a thick poison, though when the sun falls, and the moon takes its place, the moonlight makes the plant absorb the poison, and it fills its insides with the thick liquidous residue. If one were to eat it without the jinsei herb to counteract its high level of toxicity, one would die a slow, painful death.

Right now it is daytime, and I cannot afford to wait until nightfall to obtain it, so I decided to back track to the Hidden Waterfall Village to speak with the owner of the general store to see if there is a way to pick it despite the poison protecting it.

Unlike when I was here last, the village was bustling with people. Everyone was smiling, laughing, talking, and the more I observed their behavior, the more I felt myself becoming homesick. This activity reminded me of the Leaf Village.

Tearing my eyes away from the villagers, I approached the general store, happy that I was the only person in the small building. Upon entry, a bell above the door rang, signaling the shopkeeper, a bald elderly man, to give me his undivided attention. He graced me with a smile and asked "How can I help you?"

"Are you the owner of this shop?" I asked.

"Yes, yes I am." He then asked me again "How can I help you, young lady?"

I approached the counter that he was sitting behind. "Do you know anything about herbs?"

He laughed. "When you become as old as I am, you learn many things, especially when it comes to herbs." He turned around to face the wall of shelves stocked with jars and boxes full of mysterious contents, squinting his eyes as he traced his finger along the dusty objects. He asked me "Now, I have many herbs here for a young lady such as yourself. I have herbs for charisma, herbs for fertility… Oh! And I even have herbs for attaining love." He peeked back at me prior to facing the wall again, saying "Though an attractive woman like you must not have trouble finding love, same for love must not have trouble finding you. So, you must be looking for a fertility herb. Who is the lucky man?" he asked as he pulled a box off a shelf.

Feeling bashful, I said "N-No, I am not searching for anything of the sort. I just need information, sir."

"Oh…" The shop keeper almost sounded disappointed. "I can provide information as well. What is it that you wish to know?"

"The herb of death, shi no habu, is covered in a lethal poison during the day, and I cannot wait for night to fall to pick it. Is there a way to achieve it without poisoning myself?" I asked.

"Why on earth would you want an herb like that?"

"A friend of mine is sick. I need it to cure him. I do not know how much time he has left, which is why I cannot wait for the moon to rise. Is it possible to pick the shi herb during the day?"

The old man frowned as his thick eyebrows furrowed. "Yes, there is a way, though it is quite tricky."

Hope filled me. "I will do anything for my friend. Even this."

The old man nodded his head in understanding. "You have to trick the shi herb into thinking that it is nighttime."

"I… I must trick the herb? A plant?" I was not aware that plants were intelligent enough to understand the concept of night and day, though the more I thought about it, the more it made sense since it does indeed thrive in the moonlight.

The old man nodded his head. "Yes. You can do so by shielding it from the sun's bright rays and by casting genjutsu on it. Are you familiar with genjutsu?"

"Yes, though I rarely use it…"

The Hyuga clan does not teach its members how to use genjutsu so the only times I ever used it was back in the Academy at the age of ten during a test that our teacher had given us. Genjutsu requires precise chakra control, and at the time, I had not been able to pass the test since I did not have grasp of my chakra flow yet. Now that I am older and stronger, I should be able to perform it, but I still have my doubts since it has been almost nine years when I last released genjutsu.

The shop keeper smiled at me. "Worry not, young lady. Plants are not as intelligent as humans. It will only take a little bit to convince the shi herb that it is nightfall."

"That is reassuring," I admitted.

"Be warned though. After you cast the genjutsu, it does not take long for it to wear off."

"H-How long does it take to wear off?"

"The longest I heard is one hour. Those who are exceptionally weak at performing illusionary jutsu can only hold the plant in that state for five minutes or less."

I felt a bead of sweat slide down my face. I hoped that I was not one of those who were exceptionally bad at performing genjutsu.

"Thank you so much for your knowledge," I told the man before I bowed.

"No, thank you for being so polite. I hope that your friend gets better."

I offered the man a smile and I left the shop.

As I walked towards the south exit of the village, I wondered how I could successfully unleash genjutsu. Aside from the five natures, yin release and yang release are also prominent in the shinobi world. Genjutsu falls heavily under the yin category, which are techniques based on spiritual energy that governs imagination, and is used to create form out of nothingness, whereas yang release harbors techniques that are based on physical energy. As a Hyuga, I fall under neither category, and the skills I exhibit in performing genjutsu solely rely on how far I have come as a kunoichi. I have seen my former sensei, Kurenai Yuhi, unleash and dispel illusions many times, but it is near impossible to learn genjutsu through observation since it requires mental vigor as opposed to physical.

Regardless, I know the hand signs to conjure it – all I need to do is focus on controlling my chakra and unleashing it. Once I do that, I must-

I ran into a hard surface, cutting off all thoughts running through my head. I had thought that I hit a wall, but when I looked up, it was a man. Embarrassed, I back away and bowed.

"I-I am so sorry! I did not see you standing there," I said.

He had a group of friends standing behind him, conversing with one another. I can only guess that he was involved in the conversation until I ran into him. Nevertheless, he looked down at me with a hand cupping his chin as he stared at me in thought. He said "Don't I know you from somewhere?"

I straightened out my body to look at his face. "No, I do not believe that we have."

The man stared at me for several moments before saying "Never mind. Look where you're walking next time."

"R-Right. I apologize."

The men appeared to be shinobi off duty, though they did not seem like natives to this country. Either way, their business here posed as irrelevant to me, so I scurried towards the south of the Land of Waterfalls to find the shi herb.

Deep in the forest, rests a dark cave that leads to a cliff overlooking the Land of Grass, and it is on that cliff where the shi herbs grow. I do not need my visual jutsu to find it since it is the only place the herb resides, and according to the books I read on it, though rare, it is still resting on the cliff in plain sight. I had doubts on the information given to me in the book because I had read it a few years ago, but when I navigated through the cave, reaching the cliff, the black plants were sitting there.

Heart racing, I approached the plants glossed with poison. If I failed to successfully perform the illusionary jutsu, I could simply try again, but a part of me still fears failure because I half expect the world to see me as less than I truly am since that is how my father portrayed me when I was young…

I pushed all of my negative thoughts away, focusing on what was important. Clasping my hands together with my index and middle finger pointing upwards, I conjured up chakra and focused my attack on one of the herbs. While maintaining an appropriate amount of chakra, I tried to convince the shi herb that it was nightfall. Kurenai sensei can convince someone to fall prey to her illusions in seconds. I, however, could not even trick a plant.

I tried several times, focusing everything I could offer into the plant. On my fifth attempt, I saw the black herb absorb the gloss coating on the outside of it and a mixture of relief and happiness consumed me as I rushed to grab the dormant shi herb. As I reached out to pick it, I heard a whip crack through the air, the sound echoing around me, and before I could react, the whip wrapped around my wrist. I snapped my head in the direction of which the whip came, only to have my heart drop.

The ronin found me.


	17. Chapter 17

"If your plan was to escape from us, you needed to try harder. We found you way too easily," said the slim man with silver hair holding the whip. "I think you wanted us to find you."

"Enough of the small talk," said the larger man with a deep voice. "Where's Sasuke Uchiha?"

"If you tell us, we'll make your death quick and painless," said the smaller man.

I gritted my teeth.

"Aw, she doesn't feel like talking. What ever shall we do?" said the smaller man with feigned worry.

"We'll have to beat it out of her."

The larger man knocked his fists together, creating a fleeting ring of chakra around his body. He then entered a martial arts stance before rushing towards me with speed that rivaled Sasuke's. When he reached me, he swung his fist at my face, to which I ducked, but after his fist passed me, I felt a gust of wind above me that caused my long hair to billow wildly.

My eyes widened. What kind of technique could that be? What damage will it cause me?

I realized now that there was no chance of me escaping them with the shi herb. I had no choice but to fight them, so, acting quick, I cut the whip with chakra that I formed into a blade and backed away from the larger man once I freed myself to gain ground on them.

Knowing that these ronin are aggressive, it did not surprise me to discover that the larger man was trailing behind me, and as soon as I stopped moving, the man thrust his heavy-handed fist at me. Even though I guarded against his attack successfully, the aftereffect was enough to make my arms tremble from the brutal force. I ignored the odd feeling the best that I could as I sent open palmed blows towards his mid-section. He fell prey to my chakra consuming blows at first, but when he found an opening, he side stepped my oncoming thrusts, and attempted to punch me. I saw it coming in my peripheral, evaded the blow, and swept at his legs with mine.

The large man fell to the ground, leaving his guard down for a split second. Within that split second, I took the opportunity to stand above him, palm open, and I crashed what would have been a detrimental hit down on his body. Unfortunately, the attack never landed because I was forced to move away.

In the distance, the slimmer ronin released Water Style: Water Bullets in my direction, which is a jutsu that throws water at the speed of a projectile at its target. Too many were coming at me too fast so once I reached a safe distance I created a shield made from a small constant stream of chakra emitted from my palms as sharp as blades that surrounded the entirety of my being. I called this technique Eight Trigrams: Protective Sixty-Four Palms. When the water touched my shield, they lost their velocity and form, returning to a puddle of water.

Upon observation, it is obvious that one cannot touch me while my Protective Trigrams is surrounding me, so once the jutsu ended, the larger man rushed at me. I expected that and I dodged successfully. What I had not expected was his body to be consumed by chakra. After the chakra dissipated, he became faster, his punches coming at me faster than I could keep up with, and then one managed to hit me.

It was enough to take my breath away. It also stunned me, making it impossible to retaliate, and he took that as an opportunity to hit me again. I staggered backwards, but he did not let me receive a chance to recover because he was back on me in seconds, giving me multiple blows to my abdomen and the last one to my face.

I fell to the ground, coughing and clutching my burning torso. I knew that I could not afford to lie there for very long, so I forced myself to stand up despite the pain my body experienced. Though, before I could rise completely from the dirt, the large man punched my face again, returning me to my back. The world became hazy and the only way I could tell that this was reality was because my body felt nothing but pain and I tasted iron in my mouth.

I heard the ronin talking, but their words sounded muffled in my ringing ears and I could not decipher what they were saying. Whatever they were discussing, they made the mistake of thinking that I was unable to fight anymore. After I activated my Byakugan, I sprung up from the earth, and with the larger man within my range, I spread my arms wide open as I lowered to the ground to prepare to perform the devastating Hyuga clan technique Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms.

A technique that is passed down solely through the main house of the Hyuga clan, Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms is a dangerous taijutsu that, with the aid of the Byakugan, targets all three-hundred and sixty-one chakra nodes in the human body. The user envisions a circle with the user standing at its center and the target somewhere within said circle. When the target is in range, the user assumes the Gentle Fist stance to deliver a set of sixty-four consecutive attacks that hits all chakra nodes. Once all nodes are hit, their chakra flow stops, thus shutting down the body. With the larger man in my grasp, I unleashed the series of strikes to his nodes, each set of strikes exponentially increasing in speed and pace.

The first and second sets of strikes, I landed two hits for each, making the count four. The third set of strikes, I landed four blows. The fourth set of strikes, I gave him eight. The fifth set of strikes, I landed sixteen, and the sixth set, I gave him thirty-two. For the sixth consecutive myriad of strikes, I took a strong step forward to plant the last blow on his final node, shutting down his chakra network system.

Alive, but paralyzed, the man fell to the ground with gritted teeth and eyes full of hatred for me. I ignored his piercing glare as I moved on from him. Now facing the smaller man, I entered the Gentle Fist stance.

The smaller man weaved some hands signs together, slammed his hands down on the ground once he completed the signs, and out from the ground rose a large stone wall that prevented me from approaching him. With my Byakugan activated, I could see through the solid structure and I looked at my opponent. He pulled out a scroll from his ninja tool pouch, lying it on the dirt. Once I read the contents of the scroll, I felt my heart drop to my stomach.

What he had pulled out was a summoning scroll, which is a contract formed with an animal of a given species from a different dimension. To unleash this form of space-time ninjutsu, the user must offer their blood in advance with a creature of a certain species to place onto the scroll. Once the contract is formed, the user can summon any creature of their choosing from that specific environment so long as they have enough chakra to spare. I have seen the monstrous power that Naruto's toads, Sakura's slugs, and Sasuke's snakes leave in their wake, and I do not wish to see what creature this man will call forth, so I had to act fast before he offered the scroll his blood.

Using Eight Trigrams: Air Palm, a Hyuga technique that pinpoints vital spots on a target with the Byakugan by blasting out air through the hand from a high-speed palm thrust, I broke the stone wall keeping me from my enemy. Astonished that I easily shattered his earth styled technique, he bit his thumb to produce the blood required for the scroll. Before he could smear it on the page, I shot air out of my palm, which blew him off his feet and sent him flying backward.

He quickly jumped to his feet with a smirk on his face and I stood there wondering what he could be so confident about when I realized that he had the scroll in his hands. Dropping the scroll to the ground, the man weaved some hand signs together followed by smashing an open hand on the page upon completion. The area around him shrouded in smoke, but with my visual jutsu I could see what he called forth before the smoke cleared.

He had summoned a gigantic lizard at the size of one-thousand and one-hundred centimeters.

Unable to summon animals myself, I braced myself for any devastating attacks the creature might give me, changing my strategy from offensive to defensive combat. Though large, the lizard was fast, delivering blows by using its tongue with extreme speed and precision. I was forced to dodge its attacks without ever receiving the chance to find an opening to attack either one of my opponents, and because of this the lizard easily found a way to detect an opening. With its tail, the summoning swiped at me, knocking me against the wall that belonged to the outside of the cave I passed through to get here. My head collided with the hard surface of it, and I fought exceptionally hard keep myself from slipping into unconsciousness.

Nearly incapacitated on the ground, the lizard approached me, its mouth glowing red with the embers of fire. I thought that I would undoubtedly meet my end here until the summoning suddenly vanished and the man riding on top of it came crashing down to the earth. Staggering to my feet, I inspected his limp body with my visual jutsu only to discover that he had… died?

Confused, I looked over his corpse to find the cause of death and I was shocked to see that the poison from the shi herb had gotten on his skin. At some point during the fight he must have touched one of the herbs.

Deactivating my Byakugan, I let my body relax now that the battle had ended. With one dead and other paralyzed-

My blood ran cold upon noticing that the larger man I rendered paralyzed no longer laid on the ground. I reactivated my visual jutsu, and after a brief scan of the cliff, I found my enemy. Unfortunately, I located him a bit too late.

Body coated in a layer of chakra, the man hit my ribcage with a closed fist, making me hunch forward from the heavy impact of the blow. Half a second later, he hit me in the face and then roundhouse kicked me so hard that I tumbled two meters along the ground. Once I stopped, I coughed a few times, spitting up some blood on the grass.

The man grabbed me by the hair, pulling me up from the ground from which I laid and drew his chakra covered fist back. I struggled in his hold in an attempt to escape, yet to no avail. I could not die here, not when I am so close to saving Sasuke, so I coated my hands in chakra, shaping its wild form into lion heads. As he thrust his fist at me, I met his closed hand with my palm, and I refused to let go of him. He dropped me once he noticed that I was depleting his chakra, though I never released him even when he began to kick me repeatedly whilst I lie on the ground.

Blood spilled from my mouth once I received a kick so heavy that I had no choice other than to release him, and I gasped for air. Filled with anger and hate, the man hovered over me, fists at the ready to end my life when a sound in the distance stopped him from killing me. The same noise he heard that made him halt on taking my life, made my stomach turn. I knew that sound.

Indescribable, yet unforgettable, the noise in the distance started up again, only this time when it lingered, I knew what was bound to happen next. Quickly, I crawled out of the weapon's line of fire, just barely escaping the mighty impact of it. The force pushed out from the weapon met the large man, sending his body flying into a group of trees with such a rapid and heavy impact that his body split in half against one of the trees. The tree that he hit broke as well and both man and tree collided with the others, creating a chain reaction of destruction.

I expected to hear the weapon charge up again to kill me as well, but it never did. Instead, I felt eyes watching me in the distance, so I used my Byakugan to try to locate whoever was watching me. Alas, I could not find anything. That is when I figured out that my unknown pursuer from yesterday is the same figure today that saved my life. If that is the case, then…

I suddenly felt sick to my stomach.

Lord Toneri provided Lord Arata with a weapon powered by an energy vessel. For what reason? I do not know other than he is testing it for something. I would have received the information to figure that out, but a figure that I could not detect with my visual jutsu among the trees killed Lord Arata before he could announce who provided him with such a destructive tool. The figure in the distance is not human, which tells me that it must be one of Lord Toneri's puppets, and I could only assume that he ordered it to protect me. While I did not know what this means for me or family, it made me uneasy to know that he knew where I am.

Removing the blood from my mouth with the back of my hand, I then stood up from the ground to pick the shi herb in the genjutsu trance. As I staggered towards the cave, I felt the eyes watching me suddenly disappear, and anger filled me as I told myself that the next time I see a puppet, I will destroy it.

 **XxX**

It took longer than I anticipated to return to Sasuke's side since I had been injured, but I finally made it back to him with everything I needed to cure him. His skin still harbored a sickly pale color and he still had a fever, however, he was still alive and that is all that I could have asked for. If he had died while I was gone, I would never be able to forgive myself.

Borrowing the only bowl Sasuke owned from his bag, I placed each herb in it, crushing them until they turned into a chakra colored blended mush. After adding some water to it, I mixed everything together, forming a liquidous serum that smelled strongly of sage. I taste tested it to make sure I did it correctly, and once I felt satisfied with the robust taste, I gently laid Sasuke's upper body against my lap as I propped his head up with my free hand. With his mouth opened partially, I pressed the bowl against his lips, tipping some of the serum in his mouth.

I noticed immediately that he was not drinking it – it slipped out of the curves of his lips – so I opened his mouth wider and tried again. He still would not take it.

"Please, Sasuke," I said despite knowing that he could not hear me.

I did not want to risk losing any more of the serum, which forced me to rethink my plan. I had once witnessed a medical-nin at the Leaf Village hospital convince her patient, who had a throat so swollen that he was unable to swallow, to drink his medicine by transferring it from her own mouth to his. In the end, it worked, and I wondered if I could do the same for Sasuke, though my heart raced exponentially at the thought of my lips on his.

Using the leftover water from my canteen, I rinsed out the blood from within my mouth and then held a small amount of the serum in the spaces between my cheeks. After tilting Sasuke's head back, I placed my lips on his, transferring the medicinal liquid I carried. Upon deliverance, I felt him swallow and my heavy heart lifted. Eagerly, I held more medicine than before, giving him as much as he could take. He drank all the contents within the bowl, and I saw his outer appearance improve almost instantly, but he did not wake up. I gave him some time to awaken, though he never did, so I activated my Byakugan to see what was happening inside of his body.

While his chakra network system returned to normal, the amount of chakra that he lost during the poisoning left a detrimental hit to his flow, which is why he is still unconscious. Sleep can regenerate his supply of missing chakra, but with how little he has, it is possible for him to enter a comatose state, and I could not allow that to happen. Lying Sasuke on the ground in front of me, I conjured chakra to my entire body as I placed my hands on him. Unlike many shinobis, Sasuke can hold a godly amount of chakra, so when I share my chakra with him, I know that I am putting myself at risk for incapacitation.

I did not let the risks hold me back from helping him because I knew that I would not be able to live with myself if Sasuke died; I did not even want to think about that – it made my heart ache. So, after concentrating momentarily, I felt chakra leave my body to enter his. His body glowed blue like the color of it, and along with the energy came a breath of life that escaped from his lips. He did not wake up yet, not that I expected him to, but I did not stop there. I continued to share with him until I felt my body shake and my eyelids grow heavy. When I could not afford to share anymore, I canceled the transfer, and gave into my body's demand for rest.

Using my arm as a pillow, I took my place beside Sasuke, doing my best to get comfortable on the rough surface of the ground. As I stared at him, content took over me now that I had the knowledge of his recovery as I let the sound of the rushing waterfall shrouding us in the aperture to lull me to sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

I opened my eyes the following day, expecting to see Sasuke by my side. Instead, I awoke staring at no one with his poncho serving as my blanket and the coat I gave to him as a pillow now resting underneath my head. Against one of the walls in the space, our bags sat next to each other along with Sasuke's sword, which told me that he could not have gone far. Undoubtedly, Sasuke is a capable ninja, but having just recovered from a major case of chakra poisoning made me worry for his safety, so I took the poncho off and attempted to stand when pain shot through my abdomen, forcing me to lie down again.

I winced in pain as I held my throbbing torso. It hurt, though I willed myself to at least face the direction of the waterfall where I might catch a glimpse of my missing friend. As soon as I found it, my heart began to race rapidly.

Naked, Sasuke stood under the waterfall, washing himself off. His clothing sat near the waterfall, and I had wished that I had noticed them _before_ I saw Sasuke exposed; that way, it could have at least aroused a suspicion within me of him possibly taking care of his hygiene. Luckily, his back faced me, so I did not see his… frontal private area. Still, feeling the blood flow to my head, I turned around, lying on my back as I waited for him to finish and clothe himself.

Moments later, I heard wet footsteps slapping across the ground, soon coming to a halt circa where I saw his clothes. After I found it safe to face him once more, I greeted him with a smile and said "Good morning."

He had just finished putting his pants on, and his upper body glistened as droplets of water fell from his pectoral muscles. I stopped myself from gawking at his mesmerizing body for too long and I let my eyes shift elsewhere. Unintentionally, I found his left arm.

I never received the chance to see it exposed since Sasuke typically wore a long-sleeved shirt with a long poncho to hide it. I expected the entire limb to be missing, but only half of it was gone from the elbow downwards.

Tearing my eyes away, I said "I-I am sorry. I did not mean to stare."

"It's okay. It's not like I'm ashamed of it or anything," he said. "You were bound to see it eventually anyway."

I gave him a crooked smile. "How are you feeling?"

Sasuke put his shirt on, adjusting it before he picked up his semi-flak jacket. "Better than I have in a long time. Thank you, Hinata."

He offered me a genuine smile and I began to blush again along with a racing heart. "I-It was the least I could do since you have done so much for me."

"Well, you saved my life. That is more than what many have done for me."

"I would do it again," I said.

His face softened. "I would do the same for you."

Feeling bashful, I decided to change the subject. "Now that you are feeling better, we should resume our journey."

When I attempted to stand up, pain shot through my abdomen again, sending me back down where I once laid. I tried to hide it from Sasuke, but the grimace on my face told him more than enough.

Knelt at my side, he asked "What's wrong?"

With a frown, I told him "Yesterday, I ran into the ronin pursuing you. I fought them, and I won; however, I fell victim to one of their attacks. I hoped that I could sleep it off, but it appears that it has gotten worse."

"Let me see."

My eyes widened. "N-No. Where the wounds rest is in a place I do not want you to see."

"You saw me naked. Where the injury is could not be in a place more exposing than that."

"I-I did not see you…"

He gave me a knowing look.

Face red, I said "I did not mean to. If I made you uncomfortable in any way, I apologize greatly."

"You didn't make me uncomfortable. In fact, I didn't mind at all that you saw me. I'd rather have it be you than anyone else."

I could only guess the full meaning of his words, especially since I picked up a flirtatious tone in his speech.

"Either way, you have to take care of your injury before it gets worse. I won't push you to do anything you don't want to, but I don't mind helping," he said.

It was difficult for me to even consider complying to his wishes despite knowing that he would never intentionally harm me, but after thinking it through, I decided that it would be best to allow him to assist me. There were areas on my back that I could not reach that he can, so I after I sat up from the ground, I directed him to where I carried healing ointment in my bag. Once he brought it over, I removed the obi around my waist, and I timidly removed my shirt, revealing a white brassiere.

A man has never seen me exposed like this before, not even Kiba or Shino when were out on missions for weeks, so when I caught Sasuke staring at me after I removed my shirt, I was not sure how to react. Naturally, I felt shy, but more so than the bashfulness, I did not mind him staring, especially with how he looked at me. Even though I am not experienced when it comes to amatory emotions or actions, I could easily see that Sasuke's eyes glossed over with desire.

"Can… Can you, um, apply some to my back?" I asked.

Realizing that he had been gawking for too long, Sasuke's face took on a pinkish tint and he took his place behind me to do as I asked. As he coated a light layer of medicine to my shoulder blades and spine, I did likewise to my ribcage and stomach region. My ribcage in particular was very sensitive so, in turn, Sasuke finished before I had.

"Does it hurt that much?" he asked.

Slowly applying the medicine, I retracted my hand once I reached a sensitive spot and I released a humorless laugh. "Yes, though I am trying to not think of the pain."

He watched me in earnest before he said "Lay down."

I looked up at him, eyes wide. "W-What?"

"I'll do it for you. Just lay down, Hinata."

"S-Sasuke, that is not necessary…"

Sasuke ushered me to the ground of the aperture. "I wasn't asking."

Lying before him with my belly exposed, Sasuke received a good look at the damage done to my body. The chakra influenced blows the larger ronin gave me, turned the fair skin on the left side of my ribs and my right hip a deep black and blue. I had taken blows to my face as well, but those injuries were not nearly as bad or noticeable as my torso.

"Which ronin did this to you?" he asked, anger hinting behind his words.

"That does not matter."

"What do you mean 'it doesn't matter'? Have you seen what he's done to you?" Sasuke reopened the jar of ointment, anger replacing the desire in his dark orbs. "I hope you left him alive so I can kill him."

"He is dead, but I did not kill him…"

After scooping up some of the gelatinous medicine, he asked me "If you didn't, who did?"

I furrowed my eyebrows as I frowned. "A puppet that belongs to Lord Toneri. He used one of those weapons I told you about to do it… He knows where I am."

Sasuke stiffened slightly. "Do you think he's coming for you?"

"I do not know. If he is, it is unclear whether he will try to harm me or begin the wedding ceremony where we stand."

Lightly rubbing the ointment on my hip, Sasuke said "If he tries to hurt you, I will protect you with my life. If he wants to marry you what will you do? Will you go through with it?"

"I…" I paused to think it over. After learning what Lord Toneri is capable of, fighting against him seems like the option that makes the most sense, yet that option is also risky since my legacy's existence is at stake. On another note, I could marry him as originally planned, but if I were to do so, what would that mean for the rest of the world? It is more than unlikely that he will cease his devious plans if I were to ask as his wife, which might lead to fighting eventually anyway. I may not know my fiancé that well, but I do not believe he will have a change of heart.

"You don't have to decide now, but you have to figure it out soon. The Land of Fire is only a day away by foot," said Sasuke.

"I will have my answer before then."

With more medicine on his fingers, Sasuke gently started to apply it to the left side of my abdomen. "I will support any decision you make."

I smiled. "Thank you. Knowing that puts me at ease."

"Don't thank me yet."

Gently, Sasuke spread the gelatinous ointment from my mid-torso up to my ribcage, occasionally retracting his hand whenever I flinched. He applied more in the most sensitive areas, eventually working his way up to where my brassiere met my ribs, each touch leaving a lingering sensation of heat that made my heart race incredibly fast, and I soon felt myself beginning to blush. Not only did his touch feel good, it also made me feel something that I never have before. Despite once having strong feelings for Naruto, whenever he casually touched me, it never made me feel like this.

"It doesn't take much to make you blush," he said.

Instinctually, I covered my face with my hands once I felt my face growing hotter under his observation. "I… I am not b-blushing!"

He chuckled. "You don't have to deny it; it's only me."

Still hidden behind my hands, I hesitated for a moment before I told him "I am denying it _because_ it is you."

Sasuke stared at me, his hand frozen on my ribcage. "What do you mean by that?"

I bit my bottom lip to hold back the words that threatened to slip from my tongue. Now was not the time to express sentiment, not that I would ever receive the opportunity to express my newfound feelings. When I am with Sasuke, it is easy to forget that I am engaged.

I removed Sasuke's hand from me as I proceeded to stand up. The ointment is fast-acting, but not fast enough. With each motion I made to rise from the ground, waves of pain spread throughout my mid-section.

"We need to move onward," I said after I put on my shirt.

Sasuke approached me with my purple obi in his hand, offering it to me. I took it from him, and as I pulled my hand away from him, he quickly grabbed my wrist. The abrupt action startled me, making me jolt, and then I stiffened up. Something within me told me not to look at his face, though I could feel his eyes on me the entire time I encouraged myself to concentrate my attention on his hand. Then, when he realized that I would not meet his gaze, he drew so close to me that I could feel the heat radiating off his body.

My breath caught.

"Hinata," he said in such a way that made my legs tremble. "What did you mean by what you said?"

"It… It does not matter."

"It matters to me, and I think it matters to you too. Otherwise you wouldn't be trying to avoid this."

"Sasuke…"

"Do you like me?" he asked.

I looked up at him, shocked that he asked me that. "We are friends," I stated.

"Yes, I know. Do you like me more than a friend?"

Whatever reflected in my eyes told him more than I intended. Wrapping his arm around my waist to pull me against his body, he kissed me, and I did not resist. His lips were soft and tender as he met mine repeatedly, all of his kisses given with equal fervor. For a moment, I did not know what was happening, but once I did, I found myself joining in as I came to terms with him taking my first kiss. Everything about this felt right – the warmth, the touch, the sense of perpetual floating I had been informed about. I had forgotten about all of my worries and I let myself succumb to the safety of his hold until I remembered where my duties lied.

Breaking the kiss, I turned my head. I said "Please, do not make this harder for me than it already is."

"I'm sorry." When he released me, I instantly felt like I was missing something. "I overstepped my boundaries."

"Friends do not kiss friends."

He looked at me. "Friends also don't let friends touch them in suggestive areas."

Face red, my heart skipped a beat. "T-That… I-I…"

"Call it whatever you want. I know what you feel for me, and in case you're too dense to realize how I feel about you, I'll tell you." Staring down at me with longing in his eyes, Sasuke cupped my cheek. "I like you, Hinata. I like you more than a friend, and I have for a long time."

Even though he claimed to "like" me, I knew better than that. The reflection in his eyes mirrored Naruto's when he stared at Sakura – the same reflection in my eyes when I used to look at Naruto.

He was in love with me.

"E-Even if I did not have to marry Lord Toneri, we could not be together," I said as I gently removed his hand.

"Why not?"

"Because you are the last Uchiha and I am the Hyuga heiress. If we were to fall subject to our desires, then I would not be able to claim my right as the leader of my clan. The child that I must produce to achieve my birthright cannot belong to you – it _must_ have the Byakugan."

"I don't care about that, and neither should you. If you want to be with me, we can find a way to save your family and make a future of our choosing."

"This is the path I have chosen! This is the path I have been walking down since my birth. I need to fulfill my task, and I cannot do that with you as my suitor."

He studied me. "Do you truly want to lead your clan? Or is that something your father has brainwashed you into thinking?"

I flinched at his skepticism. "I want to be the leader of my clan. My rule is what they need to change how our ancestors perceived us."

"You have a younger sister, right? I've met her; she has the same ideals you do. She can take your place, and I'm sure she would if you asked."

I furrowed my eyebrows and tightened my fists. "No, not Hanabi. She does not have what it takes to be the leader. Not only that, I cannot imagine her producing an heir to succeed her. To even think about asking her is selfish."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Have you even asked her? Much like yourself, you can't let someone make your decisions for you. You have to choose your own path."

"I have chosen my own path," I insisted.

Picking his poncho up from the ground, he said "Keep telling yourself that, and maybe you'll genuinely believe it."

After putting on his wool poncho, he walked to the corner of the aperture to equip his sword and knapsack, leaving me fuming where I stand.

Calling to me from the exit, Sasuke said "Before we go to the Land of Fire, we should stop by the Hidden Waterfall Village to wash your kimono. You don't want to marry your beloved Toneri with dirt on it, do you?"

I opened my mouth to retort, but before I could get a word out, Sasuke passed through the waterfall. I did not want to anger him further by keeping him waiting, so I grabbed my belongings and followed behind him to our destination. I cared for Sasuke – I cared for him more than I wanted to admit to him – so knowing that I upset him tore at my heart. He made me wonder if I should go through with marrying Lord Toneri.


	19. Chapter 19

**WARNING : In this chapter, I write a section pertaining to a very sensitive topic, such as ATTEMPTED rape. I do not find anything amusing, entertaining, or acceptable about rape, nor do I condone to the act of it - I find it sickening. In fact, as I was writing the segment, it literally made me sick to my stomach and I fought with myself repeatedly whether I should keep it in the story. If you cannot bring yourself to read this chapter, I will understand. I appreciate everyone who has stuck with this story up until this point, and I appreciate all of the wonderful reviews you leave me - I read all of them and they make my day. I hope that you will continue to read Red Kimono until the very end.**

 **XxX**

The walk to the Hidden Waterfall Village was a long, silent one, the only noises existing around us being the wind unsettling the leaves, birds chirping, water running down streams and waterfalls, and our feet brushing against the grass below. The sun shined bright enough over our heads to lift anyone's spirit, but when it came to Sasuke and I, nothing at this moment could bring a smile to our faces. There were moments where I wanted to say something, anything, to ease the tension between us, but I could not think of anything. Then again, whether I said something to him or not, would not change the fact that he will not answer me. That is just how he is. But I can relate.

When Naruto rejected me, I felt unwanted and I shut myself out from the world. I was depressed and when I finally gathered the will to go outside again, I could not bear to be in the same room as Naruto, let alone look at him. He had hurt me in more ways than he realized. While I have come to know Sasuke better than I have before, it is hard to tell what he is thinking, especially since he is a man that rarely exhibits his emotions. As I walked paces behind him, I wondered what could be coursing through his head. What is he feeling right now? Is it difficult for him to be near me since I rejected him?

I shook my head. I did not want to think about that. Brooding on how Sasuke might be feeling made my heart ache. I wished that there was a way for me to make things better, but I knew there was not. The only thing that would make this better is accepting his love.

Sasuke suddenly stopped walking, so I halted as well. He then looked around the area with precision before taking a few steps forward to kneel on the ground.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

Gesturing to the ground in front of him with his hand, my eyes widened in shock when I noticed several patches of blood staining the grass.

Standing up, he said "You have the Byakugan. Shouldn't you have seen this long before me?"

"I-I was not paying attention."

"You need to pay attention. As shinobi, we must have our guards up at all times. Don't get comfortable just because I am traveling with you."

My face twitched in confusion as astonishment coursed through me from his bold assumption. "What? I am not becoming comfortable because I am accompanying you. I let my mind wander and…"

"And what? Got comfortable?" Sasuke scoffed. "Once you marry Toneri, you can't afford to do that. You're a shinobi – act like it."

Fists clenched, I said "Yes, I rejected you, and I am deeply sorry; however, I had no choice. Marrying Lord Toneri is an option that I do not have. You know this."

"You have a choice, Hinata. You always have a choice," he told me as he approached me. "You don't have to go through with this."

"I _must_ marry him."

"Or you can kill him."

I unclenched my fists as my face softened. "Sasuke…"

" _I_ can kill him." His eyes locked with mine. "I'll do it for you."

Mouth slightly agape, I looked up at him, unable to tear my eyes away from his. He was serious.

"N-No," I managed to say. "Doing so is too risky."

"It's worth a try."

"Not when my legacy is at stake."

"Your legacy is at stake even if you do marry Toneri. Do you honestly think that life will be perfect with him as your husband?"

"Of course not! But maybe I can change him."

"A man like that can't be changed. You won't be happy with him."

"Maybe I can learn to love him. Maybe he can learn to love me. Maybe life will not be as bad as I assume it will be once the ceremony is complete," I said. "This choice is the safest."

"It's safe, but not permanent. As long as he still breathes, your clan and the world will be in danger. Do you really want to risk that?"

I tightened my lips after I broke eye contact.

"As heiress, you have an obligation to put your clan first, but without a world, there will be no clan to lead," said Sasuke. "To me, the answer is obvious, and it's not because I want to be with you. Do the right thing here, Hinata."

Grass brushing against Sasuke's legs as he walked away, I opened my mouth to retort, but instead my attention was taken from him and had been replaced by a woman screaming in the distance. Mind rid of all our existing problems, Sasuke and I dashed in the direction we heard the scream, soon finding the source of distress.

I crouched by a middle-aged woman kneeling on the ground crying hysterically, and I noticed upon arrival that she had blood on the front of her clothes. Further observation told me that the blood did not belong to her, so I relaxed a little as Sasuke stood close behind me, surveying the perimeter.

I asked the woman "Are you alright? What happened?"

Looking up at us, her watery eyes filled with hope as she said "Oh! You're both ninja! Please, you have to help me. My husband has been taken."

"Taken by who?" I asked.

"The Fuma clan! My poor husband stands no chance against ruffians like them."

While it is unknown where the Fuma clan originated from, they are notorious in the Land of Fire and the Hidden Rain Village for their aggressive taijutsu and use of giant shuriken.

"The Fuma clan?" said Sasuke. "What do they want with your husband?"

"My husband owes them money after they loaned us some ryo to pay off my medical bills. Since we couldn't pay them on time, they dragged my husband out here to 'teach him a lesson'." The woman turned to me, holding tightly onto my hands as she stared at me with pleading eyes. "Please. You have to help him. They'll kill him!"

I could not turn away anyone who asks for help, especially when it involves life and death, so I said to her with calming reassurance "Do not worry, ma'am, I will find your husband. Go back home where it is safe and wait for his return. I will bring him back to you shortly."

Happiness reflected in her eyes and she smiled largely. "Thank you! Thank you, young lady!" I helped her stand up from the earth. "You both look strong, but be careful. Those men are monsters."

"I will be sure to stay cautious," I said.

Once the woman was out of sight, Sasuke said to me "I noticed that you kept saying 'I' instead of 'we'. I hope you aren't expecting to take care of this without me."

"I did not know if you wanted to help."

"I may be upset with you, but as long as I'm with you, it's always 'we'."

As butterflies swarmed in my stomach, I smiled up at him. "Thank you, Sasuke."

Even though he waved me off, I could see that he became slightly flustered. "Don't thank me yet. We need to retrieve that woman's husband."

I nodded my head and then I activated my Byakugan to find any traces of Fuma clan chakra in the distance. It did not take me long to locate five men dragging another man across the dirt about six kilometers away from where we stood. It was easy to tell from the network pattern that the five men standing belonged to the Fuma clan and that the man on the ground was a common villager, so, once I told Sasuke, we rushed off in their direction.

We soon cut the men off from their destination, and upon encountering them, I noticed that I had met these people before. The Fuma clan member dragging along the villager was the same man that stopped me in the village yesterday because he thought I looked familiar.

Sasuke drew his sword, pointing it at the shinobis. "Let the man go and I will spare your lives."

The clan exchanged glances before they turned back towards us with haughty expressions plastered on their faces. The one in front, who I christened as leader, said "To have a fight with the legendary Sasuke Uchiha would be an honor. If you want to try to kill us, go ahead and try."

Without warning, the leader sprinted towards Sasuke with a kunai knife in his hand. Sasuke saw this coming long before I had thanks to his Sharingan, and he stood there, sangfroid, blocking the attack with the blade of his sword before any of us could comprehend what occurred. As the leader pushed to get Sasuke to yield, sweat dripped down his face from the effort he had to produce to combat Sasuke's strength. Sasuke, however, maintained his composure, and once he grew tired of their stand-still, he pushed the man off by coursing lightning through his blade.

The leader jumped back before he electrocuted, smiling at the challenge Sasuke gave him.

The Fuma group leader told two of his men "Come with me. The Uchiha is going to show us a good time."

Knowing that Sasuke would not follow them without a practical reason, one of the men grabbed the villager, sprinting off into the forest with another member of the clan and the leader in tow. Annoyed, Sasuke sucked on his teeth before rushing after them, leaving me with two Fuma clan members.

Veins thickening on either side of my eyes, I activated my Byakugan as I entered the Gentle Fist stance. One member rushed towards me without hesitation, throwing reckless punches in my wake. Due to his carelessness, I successfully dodged and countered all of them, but as I was doing so, something did not feel right. Because his technique was sloppy, I figured that I could easily subdue him, but he never gave me the opportunity to, which told me that they must be planning something.

I could not see it since it was positioned at my blind spot, but I heard it coming for me as its sharp blades sliced through the air. Quickly, I knocked my opponent to the earth to conjure my Protective Trigrams to shield myself from the devastating attack of the giant Demon Shuriken coming for me; though, because of the weapon's unique size and sharpness, I had trouble deflecting it as it continued to scrape against my barrier. With some effort, I was able to push it back, sending it spiraling into a tree standing a few meters away.

As soon as I let my shield down, the same Fuma member that threw sloppy punches at me attacked me again, only this time he was serious. His blows were precise and neat, though he still did not stand a match against me. The Fuma clan does not excel at taijutsu, not like the Hyuga clan, so it did not take me long to find another opening, and when I did, I knocked my opponent to ground with a force so resilient that he blacked out.

I turned my attention to my last opponent, the man who had said I looked familiar to him, with the intent on facing him with taijutsu. As I approached him with speed, he weaved several hand signs together, releasing Earth Style: Mud Silhouette, a technique that summons a river of mud. Upon release, I leaped into the air to avoid the mud, landed in front of him, and thrust a palm at his chest. When my palm impacted with him, shock took over me once my hand got stuck in a mud-like figure that looked identical to my opponent in the place that he previously stood. I kicked myself mentally for not noticing he used Substitution Jutsu.

Substitution Jutsu is a basic technique that replaces the user's body with an inanimate object of their choosing, such as a log of wood, the moment an attack lands. This creates an optical illusion where the opponent assumes their attack was successful until the jutsu activates and the opponent realizes that the user either has escaped or is planning to reverse the trend of events by turning the battle in their favor, which is what I can only assume my opponent is doing since the Fuma clan are not the kind of people to flee from a fight.

I tried to free my hand from the mud replacement, that had dried once my hand thrust through it, by pulling it. When I learned that was not going to work, I concentrated an ample amount of chakra to the captured parts of my arm, eventually achieving cracks in the solid object, though I failed to free myself.

I had raised my other hand for another attempt, but, with my visual jutsu, I saw my opponent reappear behind the figure. With a smirk, he easily punched through the substitute, freeing me by hitting me in my abdomen directly on my preexisting wound that possessed enough strength to steal my breath. I skid along the earth, landing in remnants left from his Mud Silhouette, as I writhed in pain.

While I lay in the mud trying to convince myself to push past the pain, my opponent approached me, standing at my feet with a hand in the form of the sign for chakra release – index and middle finger pointed upwards. Suddenly, the mud that I lay in restrained my arms and ankles, hardening immediately once I fell prey to its hold. I struggled to escape, but to no avail.

"I know where I've seen you before," said the ninja. "Yuji showed us a picture of you and told us all about you and your fiancé. Your fiancé betrayed us, you know? He promised to make us and that Arata Sairenji guy rich if we tested out those weapons he gave us. It's been weeks and he hasn't held up his end of the bargain."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What Lord Toneri does has no affiliation with me."

"Oh, but it does! You see, as his fiancée, you are also held responsible for his actions. Yuji put a bounty on your head, telling us that whoever finds you first gets to kill you. He figured that it would send a message to Toneri because he didn't pay up like he was supposed to."

"So, are you going to kill me?"

"Yeah, I am. I can't pass this opportunity up. If I show your corpse to Yuji, he'll promote me."

"Then what are you waiting for?" I asked scornfully.

His mouth twisted into a wicked smile. "Before I take your life, there's something I need you to do for me."

The man took off his belt followed by unzipping his pants and I stared up at him in horror. My body froze as my mind pieced together what was about to happen.

"Y-You… You do not have to do this," I said.

"I want to. Do you know how much brothels cost?"

He liquefied the hardened mud around my ankles, and restrained my legs with his hands as he lowered down to my level. I fought hard to prevent him from enacting what he was about to perform, achieving a few kicks to his face that merely irritated him. To stop me from resisting any longer, he hit the wound on my ribs with a closed hand, which made my vision hazy. In the period of my temporary incapacitation, the man managed to pull my shorts and underwear off and by the time I came to, I was only able to stare at him because I had been immobilized by fear. While he had not entered, he had full reign to do so at any given moment.

Our eyes met, and the world seemed to turn in slow motion as he hunched over on his knees in between my legs with his groin positioned directly in front of my mine. I stopped breathing when I felt him touch me. He then pushed ever so slightly, but he never received the chance to defile me.

I blinked and Sasuke had appeared behind the man, pulling him away from me, and throwing him with a force so strong that he rolled hard enough to kick up chunks of earth. Still rolling, he hit the mark of four meters when Sasuke charged after him with blinding speed, thus stopping his involuntary movement by stabbing him with his sword directly in his erected groin. The man let out a blood curdling scream that grew louder as Sasuke twisted the blade. Peering down at the man in disgust, Sasuke sent lightning into the man via blade with a voltage so high that the noise emitting from it sounded more like screams rather than chirping.

Body now blackened, Sasuke removed his sword after a few tugs once he pronounced the man as dead, and he approached me. After summoning lightning to his hand, he aimed the current at the muddy restraints around my arms, freeing me from it. I covered myself until Sasuke turned around, and I hastily put on my underwear and shorts that were soiled by mud.

After rising from the ground, I subconsciously wiped my face, noticing that I had been crying. Shame festering inside of me knowing that I displayed such weak emotions in the presence of an enemy, I forced myself to remain calm – starting with speaking to Sasuke. However, when the words released from my lips I sounded more phlegmatic as opposed to collected.

"Were you able to save that woman's husband?"

"Don't worry about him. He's fine." He turned to face me, remorse thickly coating his usually stoic features. "I shouldn't have left you here by yourself."

Seeing him like this, I was not sure how to respond. All I could do was gawk with widened eyes, but eventually, I found the will to say "I-I am fine, Sasuke. You saved me before he…" I could not bring myself to utter the word.

"If I didn't get to you in time I never would have been able to live with myself."

I looked towards the earth, unsure of what to say when Sasuke suddenly pulled me into an embrace. "I'll never leave you alone again," he told me.

His warm words made me momentarily forget my potentially traumatizing experience as I wrapped my arms around him and let myself melt into the safety of his embrace.


	20. Chapter 20

An amazing thing about peace befalling the world after the war is that we have no enemies, which means that nations and countries are more inclined to share clothing, scrolls, weapons, jutsu, food, and new inventions such as – my personal favorite – the washing machine. Even though it cannot wash delicate clothing like my silk kimono, it most certainly can clean my ninja gear that had been sullied with mud. As it washed in the machine, and my kimono soaked in the bathroom sink, I showered to rid my body and hair of all the sweat and dirt I managed to collect within the past few days. Once I finished taking care of my personal hygiene, I had forgotten how good it felt to be clean.

Since I had no clothing to wear at the moment, I borrowed one of the inn's white robes and I sat on the bed in the next room while I waited for the washing cycle to finish. In the meantime, I sorted out my ninja tools, but boredom soon birthed within me and I let my mind wander.

The topic that occupied my thoughts was my betrothal to Lord Toneri. While marrying him is undoubtedly the safest option, the more I pondered on the matter, the more sense it made to take his life. Sasuke was right. Marrying him will not solve any problems – it will just create more – so as I tried to figure out how to achieve my goal, I received a knock at my door. I answered it, and my heart fluttered upon meeting Sasuke on the other side.

He did not wait for an invitation, stepping in as he pleased, to which I had to shut the door behind him.

"What brings you here?" I asked as I tucked a strand of wet hair behind my ear.

"I just wanted to check on you."

"I am fine." I studied his face, noticing that he looked troubled. "Are you alright?"

"You shouldn't be asking me that," he said with a frown.

"Why not? Your well-being concerns me, just as mine concerns you. You look like something is bothering you."

He narrowed his eyes. "My well-being shouldn't be part of your concerns right now."

"It is. I care for you, Sasuke." I took a step towards him. My heart pounded so loudly that I feared he would hear it at our proximity. "What is troubling you?"

He appeared to be contemplating whether he should share his concerns with me or not, but he soon decided to do just that. "I'm trying not to think about it for your sake, but my mind keeps replaying it. I can't help wondering what might have happened if I hadn't gotten to you in time." Sasuke tightened his fist. "Seeing that bastard almost defile you reminded me that I should not let you go so easily. I love you, Hinata."

I became flustered from his abrupt revelation. "S-Sasuke… I…"

"I know my confession is falling on deaf ears, but I can't let you marry Toneri without telling you how I truly feel. When we get back to the Leaf, I won't try to stop you, though if he does anything that puts you in harm's way, I'll kill him myself."

"I have been thinking actually," I said. "You are right. Fulfilling the arraignment will cause more harm than good. I should kill Lord Ton- no, I should simply say Toneri."

Surprised, Sasuke asked "What made you change your mind?"

"The shinobi that attacked me earlier made me realize that might actually happen to me at some point in my marriage, and I cannot bear to even think about that." I paused. "And you. You also changed my mind… I have been putting it off for the sake of my clan, but I can no longer do that. I have feelings for you, and it is not just a crush. The way you make me feel is greater than anything I have ever felt for anyone before, and I… I think I am beginning to-" I stopped myself. "No, I do love y-"

Before I could even finish, Sasuke pulled me against him, his lips on mine. A surge of heat rushed through me as I indulged in his fervent kisses, and then, when my lips parted against his, he slipped his tongue in. Startled at first, I did not know how to proceed, but then I relaxed once I felt Sasuke's warm hand move to the small of my back, and I did my best to follow suit as he explored the threshold of my mouth.

Gently, yet dominantly, he kissed me with skill that I never thought possible, and I wondered how many other girls he kissed like this. The thought lingered on my mind, but only for a second because he soon pushed me towards one of the corners of the room, and, pressed between him and the wall, I felt myself melting in his hold. He kissed me there for a little while longer before breaking from me, leaving us both panting.

"I did not get a chance to finish," I said.

"You didn't have to." In my peripheral, I saw his knuckle clench as his face suddenly contorted into one of shame. "I'm sorry – this must scare you. I got so excited that I couldn't control myself. After what happened, you probably think I might-"

"Never. You would _never_ hurt me, Sasuke." I felt my expression soften, and I reached up to caress his face. "True. What almost occurred frightened me, however, my mind is clear. I am at my safest when I am with you."

Shame replaced with a candid smile, Sasuke's lips met my mine, gently planting soft kisses to which I anxiously reciprocated. Then, he abandoned my mouth, holding onto my waist as he did so, to leave light kisses on my neck. Somewhere along the line, my hand found its way into his soft, dark hair. My pulse quickened at the heat each kiss left me, despite how delicate they were, and I felt myself melting against him. When I felt his tongue flick across my skin, my heart lurched and I said with haste "Wait, we should stop."

Though he disagreed, he did not fight me and, still wedging me between him and the wall, he removed his lips from my neck.

"I do not want this to lead into something more."

Given our current setting and my attire, it would be very easy to take this towards the next step, more so because of our physical statuses. I could just barely see the shape of Sasuke through his pants and as he was kissing me, I felt my body reacting as well. Even now as I stood there with Sasuke so close to me, there was a slight sensation of wetness forming where my legs meet.

"Are you afraid?" he asked.

I met his desire filled eyes, positive that my eyes held the same amount of lust. "No. Not when I am with you."

"Then what's holding you back?"

I bit my bottom lip, worried what he might say once I told him: "Despite how difficult it is to resist temptation, I do not want to fornicate. I want my first time to be through consummation, and consummation alone."

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you proposing to me?"

The blood rushed to my head, and I averted my eyes from him, casting them to the wooden floor beneath our feet. "I-I… u-um, n-no, I…"

A laugh expelled from his mouth, and my heart fluttered as I listened and watched in interest. I never knew a laugh to sound so captivating.

"If you want to marry me, I'll accept your offer, but first we have to take out the person who's trying to shove his name down your throat."

I nodded my head. "He has many puppets guarding him, so I do not know how to approach this efficiently without causing too much damage. There is also the matter of the weapons in his possession."

Sasuke left me to stand at the room's center. "How many weapons does he have?"

"I do not know. I gave one to Tenten to study, Yuji Fuma currently has one, and one of the puppets that Toneri is spying on me with also has one. If there are more that exist, hopefully the number is scarce."

"They use the energy from the vessels to repulse someone with an incredible force and speed. We have been destroying any vessel we see, so maybe the weapons have lost their power or, at least, weakened."

At the sound of the washing machine signaling me that it completed its cycle, I moved to the bathroom, leaving the door open so I could speak to Sasuke, and as I placed my gear in the drying machine, I said "When I destroyed the first energy vessel to power the weapon, the tool lost its power completely. I would like to assume that applies to all weapons, but then again, the first weapon was a prototype. Toneri might have invented something by now to give his tools infinite energy given that the puppet spying on me used a weapon after I already eliminated the vessels in this country."

"If he has, that means the only way to shut them down without recovery is by killing Toneri."

Taking the parts of my kimono soaking in the sink, I hung them over the tub to dry. "Not only that, taking his life will deactivate his control over the puppets." I rejoined Sasuke in the bedroom. "In the Leaf, I saw he had many puppets following him, and it appears that he also has an unknown amount of them outside the Land of Fire."

"Yeah, he does. I saw countless of them long before I found you in the Land of Iron."

Puppet masters can control their marionettes by connecting threads of chakra from their fingers to their puppet's joints. If the puppeteer's hands are disabled, or if one manages to cut the threads binding the puppeteer to the marionette, then the technique is neutralized, thus rendering the user as vulnerable. The maximum number of puppets that a puppeteer can control is ten (one for each finger), but Toneri most certainly has more than that. Not just that – he does not control his puppets with thread. They can travel long distances and function properly in unison without his constant command, which is something that I have never seen before.

"So, this means everything ends with taking Toneri's life…" I said.

"Yeah, though it's getting late and your clothes are wet. If we leave at first light tomorrow, we will reach the Hidden Leaf Village by noon. When we get there, we should meet with the others to discuss a course of action."

Sasuke placed his hand on the doorknob to exit the space. Once he gripped it, I called out to him with noticeable hesitation.

He turned his head to face me. "Yes?"

"D-Did… Did you mean it when you said that you would accept my offer for marriage?"

He stared at me, mouth slightly agape, and then it curved into a smile. "Yes, I meant it, though, I would rather have you take my last name. I don't think 'Sasuke Hyuga' is very suiting."

When he left the room, I stood there surprised that he readily accepted my proposal even though I never truly offered my hand. Still, it filled me with a happiness that I had not experienced in a long time.

 **XxX**

We met at the gate of the Hidden Waterfall Village just as the sun peeked over the horizon, and we set out in the direction of the Land of Fire briefly upon reuniting.

Our peregrination did not take us long, for we reached the country in a couple of hours, and we approached the western gate to the Leaf Village a few hours more after that. Just standing in the Land of Fire without entering the village took away my homesickness and anticipation ran through me as Sasuke and I drew closer to the entrance. However, meters away from entering, I heard a familiar barking behind me.

I turned around to see Akamaru spring from the bushes in the forest surrounding the village. He rushed towards me, tail wagging, and I welcomed him as he greeted me.

"Akamaru?" I said. "What are you doing outside of the village?"

He stopped licking my face as he climbed off my body. Moments later, Kiba dashed through the bushes and before I could say anything, he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug.

"K-Kiba?" Rustling in the bushes from which Kiba and Akamaru came, my other teammate arrived. "Shino? What is going on?"

"I knew I smelled you!" said Kiba. He pulled back, but continued to hold onto me by my shoulders. "As soon as Akamaru got a whiff, he took off running."

"We've all been searching for you for weeks," said Shino.

"Yeah, we were worried. Everyone pitched in to help us find you," said Kiba.

"E-Everyone?" I said.

As if the breeze blew them in, our friends Sai, Ino, Choji, Shikamaru, Rock Lee, Sakura, and Naruto met up with us, taking their places behind my teammates. Upon landing on her feet after sprinting through the trees, Sakura's green eyes widened when she noticed Sasuke. She ran to him, hugging him as if her life depended on it.

"Thank goodness you're alright!" she exclaimed, tears welling up in her eyes. "I've been trying to contact you for months! I thought that…. I thought that something might have happened to you."

"I'm fine," replied Sasuke.

Sasuke stared down at Sakura with disinterest while she looked up at him with adoration. Watching her interact with him caused jealousy to emerge within me. I had hoped that no one saw the dark expression I made while staring at my friend, but Kiba noticed.

Arms crossed, he whispered to me "Seems like you've joined the fangirl group on your little adventure with Sasuke."

I blushed. "N-No, it is not like that."

He smirked mischievously. "I've known you for seven years. There's no way you can fool me, Hinata."

"Sorry to break up our reunion, but we have bigger problems right now," said Shikamaru.

"What kind of problems?" asked Sasuke.

"It turns out that Hinata's fiancé is crazy. Your father sure knows how to pick them," said Ino.

My heart sunk. "What do you mean by 'crazy'? Is my family alright?"

Shikamaru lazily scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. They're fine, but they might not be for long. Toneri has been holding them hostage inside the estate since he returned from the Land of Iron weeks ago. With each passing day that you haven't returned to the Leaf, the more restless he becomes. Some Hyugas were able to escape, but your father and sister are still in there."

"Why have you not done anything to save them?" I asked, trying to hide the urgency in my voice.

"We tried, however, your home is surrounded by a barrier that none of us can touch," said Rock Lee. "Every time we touch it, it saps our chakra."

"The Hyuga clansmen that escaped are able to touch it, but they don't have enough power to break the barrier even when they focus their power in unison," said Sai.

A strong sense of uneasiness took over me as I brooded over the chances of my family's safety. Meanwhile, Sasuke managed to escape from Sakura, taking his place beside me. Firmly, he touched my shoulder, which lessened the anxiety I felt almost instantly as he offered me a kind smile. I looked up at him, reciprocating the gesture.

"The Hyuga clan is the strongest in the Leaf Village. I'm sure your father and younger sister are alright," Sasuke assured me.

"Yes," I said, "you are right."

Our attention from each other was taken once we felt the eyes of our friends watching us with apparent interest.

"You two seem to have gotten… close," said Ino as she observed us curiously.

I did my best not to blush, and I successfully prevented it. Sasuke, however, cared less about their scrutiny and said "Yeah, we have. That's bound to happen after being forced to rely on one another for survival." He turned to Shikamaru. "Where are the Hyuga members that escaped now?"

Everyone seemed to think of his gesture as a friendly one, returning to business.

"They're all hiding expect for Ko. He's at Tenten's place," said Shikamaru.

Relief washed over me. "Ko is alright? Does he know anything regarding to the status inside of the barrier?"

"We asked, but he didn't say much," replied Choji.

Sai shrugged. "He doesn't seem to trust us very much."

"You're gonna have to talk to him," said Kiba. "Even when Shino and I try to get him to spill information, he won't do it."

"That is just how Ko is," I said.

"Well, since you're here now, he's going to have to talk. Let's all meet up at Tenten's," said Shikamaru.

Everyone entered the village, heading in the direction of Tenten's apartment. Sasuke and I moved to follow them, his hand on the small of my back to lead me in once our friends' attention was now focused on the tragedy at hand. But Sakura halted us, her watery eyes filled with contempt. She saw through his gesture.

She said "So, after all the times I poured my heart out to you, you go off and do this? How could you, Hinata? How could you do something so selfish? I _never_ expected this from you."

"Sakura, I never intended for this to happen," I said. I glanced up at Sasuke who had removed his hand from the small of my back. "Neither of us did."

"Yet, it happened. Somehow." Sakura looked at Sasuke. "Did you even read the letters I sent you?"

He said "I read them, but I chose not to reply because I knew you'd get false hope about us starting a relationship. What you put in those letters held more than concern for my well-being."

She put her hands on her hips. "If you didn't want to be with me, you should have made it clear."

"I have. I've made it clear ever since we were kids. I care for you, Sakura, I always have, but not in the same way you care for me. Hinata is the one I want to be with."

Her pretty face contorted into anger. "I can't believe this…"

"Don't be angry with Hinata. She resisted what I threw at her because she was thinking of her family and because she was thinking of you. As much as you may think she betrayed you, she didn't." Sasuke paused. "I see you as a sister, Sakura. There's no way we could have ever been together."

Hurt flashed in her eyes.

"I should have known you still had feelings for him." Walking back from the village, Naruto joined us, pain lingering in his blue eyes. "So, while you were with me, you were thinking of him, is that it?"

Sakura peered up at Naruto, remorse and panic taking over most of her anger. "Naruto, now isn't a good time."

"It's the perfect time," Naruto exclaimed as he threw his arms up in the air. "Sasuke's right – don't be mad at Hinata. You don't have the right to be mad at her, not when you betrayed her."

My heart lurched. "What… What do you mean?" I asked.

"While you were missing, Sakura and I slept together."

The words had no meaning when they reached my ears, but when I took my attention away from Naruto to look at Sakura, her face gave those words life. My eyes widened at learning this piece of information, though I chose not to react. I had much larger problems to deal with.

"I do not want to keep Ko waiting any longer than he has. We should go," I said.

Sakura could not bring herself to look at me as I brushed past her. There were many things I wished to say to her, however, reaching Tenten's home before Toneri noticed my return caused me to have a very limited amount of time to linger here further. Her betrayal hurt me, though I could not show it. The only thing I could allow to weigh on my mind was how to kill my fiancé.


	21. Chapter 21

"I hope that you aren't going to let what happened between Naruto and Sakura to question your judgement when it comes to decision making," said Sasuke as we walked to Tenten's apartment.

"No, it will not. I am not even thinking about it anymore," I said.

Sasuke made a noise that told me he did not believe me.

I glanced at him warily. "R-Regardless, I cannot afford to ponder on it. My family's safety is more important than fixating on the deception my friend and the man I used to love performed together."

Sasuke stepped in front of me, blocking my path. I stopped walking and looked up at him in question.

"Do… Do you…" His face turned pink as he fought with himself to speak.

"Yes?"

Timidly, he averted his gaze once my eyes locked with his. Then, like the flip of a switch, the pink tint taking over his features disappeared as he told himself "This is stupid." Now void of all bashful emotion, he asked me "Do you still have feelings for Naruto?"

The question surprised me, which I let him see. "No. I do not have feelings for Naruto." I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. "Are you asking me that because you think that is the reason why the news hurt me?"

"I knew it hurt you because Sakura, your friend, took advantage of Naruto's love for her while knowing how you felt about him. But the possibility of you still loving that idiot also came to mind."

Smiling, I gripped his poncho to support me as I stood on my toes so I could reach him. Gently, I kissed him on the lips. When I pulled away, I said "I love _you_ , Sasuke. No one else can compare to or replace the spot you hold in my heart."

Sasuke smirked. "You kissed me first this time. Keep up this behavior and everyone will stop calling you the Leaf Village's sweetheart."

"That name will be denounced from me once they see who I am dating."

He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me against him. "I guess my reputation proceeds me. Are you sure you want to be involved with someone like me?"

I smiled. "Since you are not as bad as people make you out to be, I will take my chances."

He leaned to kiss me, making my breath catch in my throat. I anticipated the feeling of his lips smashing against mine, but the kiss never came because we were interrupted.

Leaning in the doorway of the weapon shop, Shikamaru said "Once you guys decide that you're done swapping spit, we'll be upstairs waiting to form a plan of action."

Embarrassed, I wiggled out of Sasuke's hold. "S-Sorry. We are coming."

"Since Ko is so reluctant to speak, I think you should talk to him alone first to loosen him up to the idea of sharing information with us," said Shikamaru.

I nodded.

While Shikamaru went upstairs to Tenten's apartment to fetch Ko, Sasuke waited with me on the first floor. Moments later, Ko rushed down the stairs to meet me, hugging me in a way that felt friendlier than most. As my bodyguard embraced me, I could feel Sasuke's eyes on us, which prompted me to cut his hug short before he decided to do something that would mortally injure him. After all, we were surrounded by weapons.

"I'll be upstairs," said Sasuke. It was directed towards me, but he glared at my bodyguard as he spoke.

Ko did not seem to notice. Once he was gone, he said enthusiastically "Lady Hinata, I am relieved to know that you are safe. I have spent countless days and nights searching for you in the Land of Iron. Are you well?"

"Yes, I am fine, though I will be much better once you tell me the condition of the Hyuga estate after you escaped. Are my father and sister alright?"

"Lord Hiashi and Lady Hanabi are fine, but I doubt they will be for long. Toneri Otsutsuki is becoming less patient of your return with each passing day."

I wandered farther into the shop. "Has he harmed anyone?"

"To my knowledge, no, he has not. He did not harm anyone before I left with several other clansmen, but that was about two weeks ago. Toneri is a smart man. He must know that some of us found a way out of the estate, so it is uncertain what he has done after we left."

I felt the color drain from my skin. "So, there is a chance that my father and sister have been harmed?"

Ko placed a firm hand on my shoulder. "You must have faith that they are fine. Lord Hiashi is unbeatable and Lady Hanabi is very capable for her age. There is-"

Removing Ko's hand from my shoulder, I said "Faith is _not_ what I need. Had you not chosen to search for me instead of remaining by their side, I would worry less for their well-being. Yes, you are _my_ bodyguard, however, the safety of the leader to the Hyuga clan and the potential heiress's lives come before mine, considering that I might have been dead. As opposed to looking for me, you should have remained at home where you could protect them since the enemy is in there and not out here."

He frowned. "You are correct – I should have remained at the estate. Their well-being is always within my interests, but you were at the forefront of my concerns. When I learned that you were missing, you were all that I could think about."

Disbelief took over me as his words reached my ears. " _I_ was your concern? Do you hear yourself Ko? Are you telling me that I am more important than my father, the Hyuga clan leader? That is unfathomable!" I crossed my arms over my chest. "You have made a grave mistake."

His face was sullen as he looked at me. He then sat on the floor, rested his hands in front of him, and he leaned over to bow at my feet. "My deepest apologizes, Lady Hinata."

"You know our teachings just as well as I do, so you have no excuse as to why you left your leader to locate me. You and I have history dating back to my birth, so I can understand why you felt the need to abandon your priorities, but you know fully well that you absolutely cannot allow personal feelings to get in the way of your duty. If something happens to my father or sister, your punishment, along with everyone else who left, will be severe. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand Lady Hinata."

"Good. You may rise."

He did, and when his pupiless eyes met mine, they were filled with an intensity that I have never seen him harbor.

"You can punish me in any way you see fit, Lady Hinata, and I will understand. You can relinquish my duty as your personal bodyguard, I will understand. You can send me to the side branch and brand me with the curse mark. I will understand." He stepped closer to me, his gaze never leaving mine. "But I wish for you to know that I will do it again without hesitation no matter what you choose to do with me. If I ever lost you, I would lose all meaning in life."

I regarded him carefully. "What are you trying to say, Ko?"

"You will not enjoy hearing this, but I must say it." My heart pounded under the intensity. "I cannot put Lord Hiashi's life or Lady Hanabi's life before yours."

Afraid to press further, I pushed myself to ask "Why?"

His large hand found my cheek, cupping it tenderly. The intensity never left his gaze, but a familiar emotion joined it, giving me shivers up my spine. "Because I am in with love you."

My heart stopped and when it started up again, it ached. It ached even more so when Ko leaned in for a kiss. I turned away, removing his hand from my face.

Without facing him, I said "We cannot do this."

"Toneri is an unfit suitor. Once he is gone, perhaps you can consider my feelings."

"No. I cannot do that either." I looked back at him, back at his love filled white eyes, and a surge of pain ran through me. "What I am going to tell you will displease you in unimaginable ways."

"There is nothing you could do to ever displease me, Lady Hinata."

"Unfortunately, this will." I took a breath. "I fell in love."

His face twisted into one of confusion with a pang of hurt. "How? When did this occur?"

"On my journey back to the Land of Fire." I watched his features come to realization. "I did not expect it to happen, but it did."

Angry, he said "No. It cannot be with _him_. You will lose everything if you choose to be with him."

"I know. I am fully aware of that, but he is the man I wish to be with, and I am the woman that he wishes to be with. There is no denying it."

"If you decide to be with an Uchiha, you cannot lead the Hyuga clan. The child, should you have one, will not just have the Byakugan – it will also have the Sharingan. It will be an abomination of Uchiha and Hyuga blood."

I chose to ignore that he called my nonexistence child an abomination. "I know."

Ko gave me an expression that told me he did not understand. "Why?"

"I love him."

Ko took a few paces away from me, hurt taking over every emotion that he was feeling. For a moment, he appeared as though he was going to cry, but after he cleared his throat, all indications of tears disappeared as he returned to one of business. "I assume that you want me to share with your friends the conditions of the Hyuga estate's inner walls?"

"Ko…"

He walked towards the staircase. "We do not want to keep them waiting any longer, Lady Hinata."

I wanted to speak more with him, but he would not give me the opportunity. I followed him into Tenten's apartment, noticing that when he passed by Sasuke that he gave him a frigid glare. Once I took my place beside Sasuke, who had ignored the glare, I immediately pressed for questions.

I said "Ko, I was told that you and other members of our clan can touch the barrier surrounding our home without having chakra depleted from you. Is this true?"

The ghost of heartbreak lingering in his expression whenever he looked at me pained me, though I did not allow him to see that. I kept my face emotionless.

He said "Yes, we attempted to destroy the barrier from the outside since attacks from the inside were impervious; however, even with our strength combined, it had little to no effect. That was when we left the Leaf Village to find you."

Sitting on the floor beside Akamaru, Kiba crossed his arms. "There were few casualties for Leaf ninja who tried to break the barrier. Their state after their chakra was sapped was almost like Shino's state when he touched the energy vessel back in the Three-Head's Prison."

"No. The results were uncanny," corrected Shino. "What happened to them was the exact same, except for the fact that I'm alive and they are now dead."

"If that is true, then the energy supplying the barrier is the same as the energy vessels we have encountered thus far," I said. I then asked everyone "When you were searching for me, did you come across large floating golden spheres?"

Sai placed a hand on his hip. "Naruto, Sakura, and I found plenty of them. Since we couldn't touch them, we had no choice other than to leave them alone."

Kiba said "Shino and I found some too. Luckily, some of your clansmen showed up and they were able to break a few."

Upon learning that, hope washed over me. "They can break the vessels as well?"

Kiba shrugged. "It must be in your blood. But even though they can break them, it takes at least three of them at once to destroy one when you can do it single-handedly."

"That is simply because Lady Hinata is stronger than them," said Ko. Even though he acknowledged me, he refused to meet my gaze.

Leaning against the wall by the kitchen with his fingers cupping his chin thought, Shikamaru said "I don't know if that's the case. Maybe Toneri wants Hinata as his wife for that reason. Hinata must be special."

Drawing my attention from Ko's back, I looked at Shikamaru. "I figured that Toneri wished to marry me because he wants control over the Hyuga clan. To think of any other reason seems unlikely."

"It isn't like you're Hiashi's only daughter. If Toneri wanted control over the clan as badly as you might think, he would wait for Hanabi to come of age. You've been causing him a lot of trouble by destroying those energy vessels, so taking you out of the picture would have been the easiest thing to do."

When I think back to the moment where Toneri's puppet saved me from the ronin, Shikamaru's theory convinced me that it might not be as farfetched as one might assume. Alone and injured, the puppet had every opportunity to kill me, but it did not. I did not wish to rest on the fact that I might be special, however, that possibility ruled out more than others since I have indeed been causing him trouble.

"You may be right, but I cannot think of anything special about me," I mentioned.

After shifting his position, Sasuke said "Throughout the time we spent together, I haven't noticed anything that made Hinata stand out from the rest of her clan."

Choji said "You might be overthinking things, Shikamaru."

Fingers still cupping his chin, Shikamaru said "I don't think I am."

"Oh, come on people!" Ino exclaimed, annoyed. "It's obvious that Toneri is doing this because he loves Hinata."

Crinkling my eyebrows in confusion, I said "No. That does not make any sense, Ino."

"Really? It makes sense to me," she said. "Obsession with marriage, refusal to kill you, and he hasn't harmed Lord Hiashi or Hanabi. In my eyes, he's doing this because he loves you and he wants you to love him too."

An overwhelming sense of repulsion took over me. To even think of someone harming others in the name of love made me sick. Simply because I did not believe that Toneri was cable of having emotions, I dismissed her speculation.

Shikamaru shot Ino a doubtful expression before saying "Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury of trying to figure out what makes Hinata so special with the Hyugas' lives on the line. Toneri is the only person with that answer."

"It's a shame that we can't just go in to ask," said Sai.

An idea within me sparked to life. "You cannot, but I can." I looked around the room. "If he truly has been waiting for me this entire time, surely he will let me in with the intent of marriage."

Ko finally looked back at me, the shadow of hurt still prominent. "That is too dangerous, Lady Hinata. We do not know what Toneri is planning."

Sasuke said "It isn't like she's going to go in there without a plan."

"That is not what I assumed," said Ko, agitation thickly coating his words. My bodyguard turned to me, mouth in the form of a frown. "Do you intend to marry him to save our clan?"

I shook my head. "I intend to kill him."

Silence filled the room as all attention directed towards me after I announced my revelation. All who are acquainted with me know that when it comes to make a finalized decision, I choose the route that ends with little to no bloodshed. I do not like taking lives, even when it is necessary, but Toneri leaves me no choice. He must die.

"That's so unlike you," said Ino as she leaned forward on the couch with interest.

Instinctively, my eyebrows furrowed. "Unfortunately, there is no other option. If I spare his life, there is still a chance that he can still cause harm to my family and others. He has concocted a serum that can erase my clan. If I simply decide to give him to Ibiki Morino, my legacy is still threatened. Once I kill him, the serum will die with him as well, and I will no longer have to worry about the future of my clan."

The silence resumed as they shared uncertain glances with one another. They did not agree with my plan.

Sasuke said "Hinata is right. As long as he's alive, not only will the Hyuga clan will be at risk for extinction, the world will be too. Those energy vessels power weapons that are a threat to humanity, and the vessels themselves can make even the strongest shinobi mortally sick."

"You do not have to follow us," I said. "Sasuke and I are going to do this whether you want to help us or not. I _need_ to save my family."

They continued to displayed expressions filled with uncertainty when Ko told me "I will follow you anywhere, Lady Hinata."

I smiled though my heart still ached. "Thank you."

Ino shot up from the couch and clung onto an unsuspecting Sai's arm. His dark eyes widened in surprise when she grabbed him but he did not attempt to shake her off. Instead, he looked down at her nervously, a faint shade of red covering his pale cheeks.

"Sai and I will help too," said Ino with enthusiasm.

"W-We will?" asked Sai uneasily.

"Yes, we will."

It was obvious that Sai wanted to refuse, but Ino's kind face had a frightening underlying meaning as she stared up at him. Her intentions if he turned her down were unknown, and I assume that scared him enough to convince him to comply with Ino's offer.

"I'll help as well," said Shino.

After giving Akamaru a friendly pat on the side, Kiba said "Me too. I'd feel like a jerk if I didn't."

Upon thinking it over a bit longer, Choji, Shikamaru, and Lee also decided to join in. And just when we were about to form a plan of action, Tenten rushed in from the kitchen with the weapon I gave to her in her hands. Her face was a mixture of triumph and concern as she stared at me.

"I figured it out," she said. "I call this tool a propulsion gun. It absorbs energy from those vessel things you were talking about. The more energy that is stored in the vessels, the stronger the force of the weapon is."

Sasuke and I exchanged glances. Sasuke said "So, it's taking energy from people to fuel the weapons?"

"Yes, I guess? Though, I actually didn't know that part," said Tenten as she scratched her head. "I traced the source of power to an energy vessel behind the Hokage mansion where I could study both of them at the same time. It turns out that the vessel is not only storage for energy, it's also a magnet."

Confused, I said "A magnet? A magnet for what?"

Tenten shrugged. "I don't know. I couldn't figure that out."

"I knew this extended beyond the Hyuga clan," said Sasuke. "We've come across plenty of vessels in several countries. If they are all magnets, what does Toneri plan to do with them? What is he trying to pull in to Earth?"

"That's an answer only Toneri has," said Shikamaru.

"Which is another reason to infiltrate the Hyuga estate," I mentioned.

Together, we sat in Tenten's living room to form a solid plan. With Ko's help, we learned that Toneri installed something in the basement of the estate that could be projecting the barrier. If I can manage to destroy that, it might break the barrier which will make it possible to grant everyone entry. We spent about an hour initiating a plan before I left the apartment to go home. Sasuke walked with me, but he did not accompany me the entire way. Instead, about four meters from the estate, he stopped me.

"Be careful," he said.

"I will." Anxiety festered within me as I stared up at him. "Sasuke, in order to convince Toneri that I am willing to marry him, I may have to do things that neither of us will like. I might have to allow him to kiss me. I might have to kiss him in return."

"I know. It's okay."

Eyes wide, I met his gaze. "Are you certain?"

"Partially," he said, shrugging. "When I imagine him kissing you, I get the urge to run my sword through his body, but I know you're doing this for your clan. If I were in your position, I would do the same."

"I will be thinking of you the entire time."

He smiled. "I would kiss you right now, but Toneri's puppets might be in the area… You should go."

I gave him one last look before I walked away. On the way there, my heart raced rapidly in anticipation.


	22. Chapter 22

The barrier covering the estate was practically invisible. The only way I could tell if it still stood was based on the glittering effect it had when the light from the sun cast its rays in certain areas. Had the sun not been shining today, I would not have known that a shield still stood there. Two guards took watch outside of the barrier at the front gate and when they saw me approaching, they opened it, shutting down a small portion of the shield to let me pass through. I glanced between then warily, but I walked in regardless.

I had never known my house to be so empty. It felt like a ghost town on the other side of the barrier, but even though I stood alone in the courtyard, I still felt eyes on me.

"You came back."

The sudden sound startled me enough to make me jump. I whipped my body in the direction I heard the voice to see Toneri, who had appeared out of nowhere, standing closer to me than I deemed comfortable. His blue eyes regarded me with caution.

I gulped. "Yes. I have returned, Lord Toneri. The journey to get here took longer than I hoped."

"Your journey…" His eyes still held caution, and his voice sounded guarded. It made me realize that I needed to be more careful of what I was to say to him and how I was to say it. "Can you tell me why you never showed up in the Land of Iron? You expressed how unhesitant you were by agreeing to marry me. I know how much you care for your family, Lady Hinata, so I know that you would not selfishly run away and put their lives in jeopardy."

"The carriage was attacked. The guards were killed, however, I managed to escape. The time spent away from you… I have been trying to return to you so that we may wed." The words I fed him were truthful to an extent. My eyes, however, were full of lies. I made sure to express longing instead of distain. "I have been thinking about you frequently during my travels, and I soon came to the consensus that our marriage could be the best thing that has ever happened to me."

He looked suspicious. "If that is so, why did you destroy my energy spheres? Surely, you had to have known that I placed them there. People tend to talk."

"At first, I did not know they were your doing, so I destroyed any I encountered. As soon as I discovered they were yours, I ceased."

His eyes narrowed, still harboring an intense suspicion. "And that shinobi who was traveling with you?" It was clear that it was meant to be a question, though it sounded more like he was accusing me of something treacherous.

"What of him?" I fought hard to keep the longing in my expression. When I thought of Sasuke in place of Toneri, I found it to be easy to do so.

He stepped closer to me with his hands behind his back. I had never thought he could make me feel more uncomfortable until he stood in front of me, giving me a couple of centimeters of space between us. "Did either of you… do anything during those many days and nights you shared together?"

I pushed the times Sasuke and I kissed to the back of my mind as I deceived him with a convincingly warm smile. "No. I would never betray you, Lord Toneri. You were the only man in my thoughts. More than anything, I wanted to reach you so that we may be together for eternity."

The expression in his blue orbs softened as he let his guard down. He did not give me time to think or act, lunging for me with a hand gently holding the back of my skull as he smashed his lips against mine. This abrupt action startled me, but once I realized what was happening, I suppressed the nausea quickly building up and I forced myself to kiss him in return.

After we broke apart, I tried my best to make sure my smile did not seem forced. He did not notice due to the blindness he inflicted upon himself from his own elation as he held onto either side of my shoulders with a grin plastered on his face. "We must wed at once." He released me to gesture to two guards that emerged from a shadow the estate cast on the ground. "Escort Lady Hinata to her room. I have her dress waiting for her there."

"You… You have a dress for me?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes. I think you will like it." The back of his hand caressed the side of my face, sending chills up my spine. "I apologize for coming on so strong. When I think of you, I tend to lose my temper." His lips curved into a warm smile. "I am doing all of this for you, Lady Hinata, because I love you."

Upon hearing this, I bit my tongue to suppress all of the disdain I harbored for him. In the name of "love", he killed a clansman, killed countless people from the unknown toxins the energy vessels produce, threatened my bloodline, held my family hostage, and left me no choice other than to marry him. It was difficult – very difficult – to swallow the words that would ruin everything, but I somehow managed to, and I merely gave Toneri a smile in return. If I opened my mouth, I feared I would utter something I would come to deeply regret.

No more words were exchanged between us as we parted ways. The puppets took me to my room while my fiancé walked the other direction. My guess is that he also left to prepare himself for the ceremony, so when I achieved my destination, I decided that I needed to dress quickly in order to reach the basement in time before suspicion arose of my tardiness.

The puppets took watch outside of my room and I closed the door to prepare myself for the occasion. The wedding dress he left me was easy to find – he simply hung it in my closet. He claimed that I would like it, but on the contrary, it was the opposite. It was a black dress with black jewelry to match, and it came with a black turban with a veil attached to it. I found it to be quite hideous, and I found it ominous instead of romantic.

What Toneri did not know was that I had no plans to wear his gown. I intended to put on something more tasteful with an underlying meaning.

I removed the red, silk kimono from my bag, sprawling it – along with its other parts – on my bed. Despite all of the components the garb owned, I dressed quickly, and fixed my hair, pinning it up and adding accessories to match in under thirty minutes. I then escaped through my bedroom window, and headed in the direction of the basement.

The Hyuga estate was heavily guarded with puppets patrolling the hallways consistently. With my Byakugan, I managed to slip by them without much effort, and I soon found the basement where Ko claimed the source of the barrier resided. Standing on either side of the door, two puppets took watch, each wielding a sword. I knew that I could quickly take them down without either of them noticing what happened, but I fear that in doing so, their defeat would alert Toneri, so I searched beyond them towards the side of the estate where there was an alternate way in.

A few years ago when I was on a mission, I returned home to find a group of Hyuga clansmen huddled around a hole in the side of the estate that led into the basement. Apparently, their sparring became too aggressive, creating a hole in the brick. My father had meant to ask the Hokage to spare some carpenters to fix it, though he forgot no matter how often we reminded him. To this day, the hole remains with a wooden board to cover it up. No one outside of the Hyuga clan knows of this, not even Toneri, so I felt a wave of relief pass over me at the sight of no guards in the area.

Removing the wooden board, I slipped into the basement, landing perfectly on my feet. As soon as I stepped forward to look for the device projecting the barrier, the sight of crumpled bodies lying on the cold floor halted my progression. Heart beating rapidly in my chest, I approached them, turned one over to identify it, and then nausea threatened to expel. This man had no eyes. I turned the next body over, quickly coming to the same consensus. I wondered what could have done this when I remembered the symptoms my father described when injected with Toneri's serum. There were so many bodies abandoned down here – many of which I knew personally. I counted the bodies, realizing instantly that the quantity accumulated to each day that I had been away from home, meaning that Toneri must have killed one for each day that I remained absent...

Anger filled me, and I no longer had the ability to think rationally. I whipped my body towards the hole from where I came, ready to find Toneri when I heard the sound of a force colliding against metal bars resonating through the empty space. I reactivated my Byakugan, focusing my vision in the direction of the noise. When I located the origin of sound, my heart pace quickened and my mind voided of all murderous intent. I couldn't think. All I knew was that I had to reach her. So, I allowed my body to enter autopilot as I dashed into the following room to where we held the dungeons.

I quickly walked along the row of cages harboring my people until I reached the one cage holding the person I wanted to see most.

She already knew I was coming. She stood on the other side of the bars clasping the cold metal with her visual jutsu activated. Breathlessly, I stood in front of her, wanting so badly to take her into my arms.

"What took you so long?" she said, face sanguine.

I rushed to the wall of metal keeping me from her. I clasped the bars in my hands. "Are you alright, Hanabi?"

"Not even a scratch." She deactivated her Byakugan, glanced at my apparel and then back up at my face. Her mouth formed into a deep frown. "You aren't planning on marrying that freak, are you?"

"No. Why do you think I am wearing this?"

She grinned. "I want to help."

"It is too dangerous."

She shook the bars. "Stop treating me like a child. I'm the third best fighter amongst our clan and you know it."

I furrowed my brows. I knew that she was right – Hanabi can defeat even Ko in battle, though I worried for her safety, for her life. We lost our cousin, the man we thought would change the concept of our clan and take my father's position. If I lost my little sister too…

"Hey," she said softly as she observed my face. "You can't do this alone, Hinata."

"Yes, I know."

"Then let me help," she insisted. "I won't even go near Toneri if it makes you that uncomfortable. Tell me what you need me to do and I will do it without question." Her face twisted into one of thought. "Except if you tell me to stay in this cell. I won't do that."

I laughed. "Alright. You can assist me. Where are the keys?"

"Where they usually are – on the rack by the door you came through."

Sure enough, they were, along with the keys necessary to unlock the other cells. I grabbed Hanabi's key for now, releasing her from the cage Toneri kept her in.

"Where is Father?" I asked.

Hanabi scowled. "Toneri has him upstairs. He's heavily guarded by the puppets."

My heart sank. "Saving Father right now will alert my position to Toneri. My plan will be thwarted if I change my course of direction."

"Hey, did you forget already? You let me out for a reason, remember? I'm here to help."

In my little sister's white, pupiless eyes, she possessed a fire that burned so brightly I could not doubt her abilities. My baby sister was a baby no longer.

"You are correct," I said with a warm smile. "I need to return to Toneri before he grows suspicious, so what I need you to do is very important."

"I'm listening."

"Somewhere in this basement is a device that is producing a barrier around our home. Once it is destroyed, Toneri will know instantly, so after you release the rest of our clansmen in this basement, I want you to wait ten minutes before you break it."

Her wide eyes scanned the floor as if she was trying to find the logic in my words. "Toneri's puppets will be swarming the area. And what about Father?"

"That is why I want you to release the others before you break the device. There is strength in numbers and they will protect you. In terms of Father, I want you to take a few of our best members to rescue him. As you said, he is heavily guarded. Please be careful."

"You don't understand Hinata – he has a _lot_ of puppets."

I challenged the self-doubt quickly consuming her by staring back at her with eyes full of confidence. "You can do it, Hanabi. I believe in you."

The fire reignited in her pale orbs. Her frown transformed into a haughty smile as she placed her hands on her hips. "Of course I can do this! Who do you take me for?"

Smiling, I said "Good. I need to go now. Again, please be careful."

"I will."

We gave each other a brief hug before I left her to return to my room. Fortunately, I reentered the comforts of my bedroom without incident. I brushed off the dirt on the kimono and then I opened the door, meeting the two puppets obediently waiting for me on the other side. Following behind them, they escorted me to the training room – the largest room in the estate – where Toneri waited impatiently.

He had completely redecorated the room, ridding it of Hyuga mantras that hung on our walls proudly for decades, and our insignia. He replaced all of it with a wedding arch subtly adorned with black roses at the far end of the room, a long black rug that extended from the doorway to the arch, black exotic flowers that hung neatly on the walls, and lights that gave the space an ominous, depressing glow. Toneri himself wore a black formal outfit, giving me the idea of why he chose such a dark, hideous dress for me to sport. This red kimono of mine stood out in this monochromatic space, so it did not surprise me when Toneri spotted me as soon as I entered the room with his puppets in tow.

"What the hell are you wearing?" he shouted from across the room. He took long, angry strides to reach me, and when he did, he commanded "Go change. Now."

After inhaling deeply through my nose, I batted my eyelashes, taking care to project disappointment in my eyes. I asked "This does not please you, Lord Toneri? I had planned to wear this in the Land of Iron, though I never made it to you. Throughout my life, people claimed that I looked wonderful in red. I had hoped that this would catch your attention in the most… concupiscent ways."

I gave him a suggestive expression that made him gulp. All of the anger he felt washed away, turning into desire.

"It… It is undeniable that you are a beauty beyond compare, and the temptation you offer is almost irresistible, however, we need to save consummation after we are married. Please," he gestured to the archway, "this way, Lady Hinata. I have something I wish to show you that you may appreciate before we say our vows."

Reluctantly, I followed Toneri to the wedding arch. With a snap of his fingers, a puppet presented a wooden box that it handed to its master. My fiancé opened the top, standing at an angle where I could not see the box's contents, but I felt my stomach twist at the thought of what might be inside. The feeling that spread through me was not a good one.

"It is no secret that I have been watching you during the moments we spent apart, and, well, I happened to see what that Fuma mongrel attempted to do to you. The rage that consumed me was unlike anything I have ever felt – the image burned into my mind."

Fear seized me at the possibilities he enacted to achieve "justice". When I spoke, my voice came out in a whisper. "Lord Toneri? What did you do?"

"I did what I had to, to make sure your name was not tarnished like some brothel whore." He put his hands in the box, lifting something out of it that made me jump several meters back in horror.

From the box, he pulled out the head of Yuji Fuma.


	23. Chapter 23

I could not will myself to speak. I just stared in terror. What human-being could remotely believe this was an appropriate gift?

"You do not like it?" His face suddenly flushed and his voice grew loud with anger. "I went through a lot of trouble to achieve this. Do you know how many guards I sacrificed to get-"

A sound – the sound of something shattering – stopped Toneri from speaking further. It was loud enough to make my ears ring, but my fiancé appeared unfazed. Instead, he looked out the window up at the sky where the barrier began to crack, breaking apart until it existed no longer.

He remained there, unmoving, for several moments until he decided to slowly face me. His blue eyes were void of any emotion for a fraction of a second, and then, suddenly, rage flared within them. He dropped the head of Yuji Fuma on the floor, rushing towards me with an aggravated yell.

With my Byakugan ready, I entered the Gentle Fist stance prepared to strike him when Sasuke appeared in front of me, punching Toneri so hard that he tumbled onto his back.

I glared at Sasuke. "I could have handled that."

He smirked. "I come to save you and that's your response?"

I sighed. "Where is everyone else?"

"They're destroying the puppets." Sasuke looked towards Toneri who was beginning to stand up. "Don't worry about them. This guy is our top priority."

Now on his feet, Toneri wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Sasuke Uchiha," he said. He was smiling, but it did not reach his eyes. "I knew you were lying to me, Lady Hinata. I knew you and this dirty shinobi have been performing acts of adultery behind my back. The way you look at each other says it all." He turned to Sasuke. "I know you were watching us in the courtyard beyond the barrier. How did it make you feel when I kissed your beloved whore?"

Sasuke is not one to be provoked easily, especially by words that derive from a madman, but he let his anger get the best of him, dashing towards Toneri with blinding speed. Incredibly, Toneri smoothly avoided the strikes from Sasuke's sword, and even when Sasuke found openings, Toneri avoided those as well. Toneri never bothered to attack Sasuke. At first, I assumed he feared to because Sasuke possessed the Sharingan and Rinnegan, but the smugness in his eyes told me otherwise.

"You cannot touch me," said Toneri smugly.

This only irritated Sasuke more, though he contained that anger, attacking Toneri with swift and accurate movements. I watched intently, hoping that Sasuke would manage to take the advantage in this standstill duel. But somehow – I do not know how – Toneri found an opening, and in one swift movement, green chakra formed around his arm as he punched Sasuke in his abdomen. Sasuke lost his balance as he gasped for air, though he recovered quickly, prepared to swing at Toneri once more when Toneri's leg covered in the same green colored chakra. He kicked Sasuke with such speed that not even his Sharingan could predict it in time.

I kneeled tentatively beside Sasuke who had been sent by my feet. He clutched his abdomen where Toneri punched him and his face was tight with pain.

"His chakra isn't normal," said Sasuke. "He took chunks of my chakra with just a few hits."

Using my Byakugan to see the internal damage, I could easily tell that with two strikes alone, more than half of Sasuke's charka had been depleted. Not even a Hyuga could do that.

"This power can all be yours, Lady Hinata." Toneri extended his hand to me. "If you become my wife, I can share this with you. The Hyuga clan will evolve into gods."

"I do not want, nor need your power."

He frowned. His eyes became expressionless. "Then you can die along with the rest of this world."

When his entire body flared up in thick, green chakra, the ground beneath us shook violently, and the energy produced from his odd chakra made the room's temperature spike. Ornaments fell from the ceiling and I shielded Sasuke's body with my own. At first, I thought just the estate was trembling, but when I searched beyond that with my Byakugan, even the Leaf Village shook. Beyond the village, I realized the Land of Fire was shaking.

"What is happening? What are you doing?" I asked, feeling the panic rising within me.

"Those energy vessels are magnets that are going to make the moon collide with the earth. You and your friends destroyed an ample amount of them, but it was not enough to hinder my plan. If I cannot have you as my wife, the world will die."

"We have to stop him." Sasuke attempted to rise, only to succumb to the pain in his abdomen which caused him to fall onto my lap.

I wiped sweat forming on my forehead. "How?" I asked myself that more so than anyone else.

"He's using chakra to activate the magnets somehow. Use your Byakugan to figure it out."

So I did. I scanned the area, noticing immediately that the same energy produced by the vessels across the world over were flowing into Toneri, and through him, he focused that energy upwards to the moon. Only, I assumed that he focused it on the moon. My Byakugan would not allow me to see that far. Regardless, I knew what I needed to do.

I stood up from the floor, leaving Sasuke who still could not bring himself to stand. Moving to the center of the room, I challenged Toneri, entering my Gentle Fist stance. He took one look at me and scoffed. "What do _you_ intend to do? Seduction will no longer trick me."

After angling my palm, I dashed for Toneri who expected me to strike him. He held up a hand, ready to catch my wrist, but I moved out of the way, spinning behind him. His eyes widened in surprise, though when I extended a palm, Toneri suddenly disappeared. With my visual jutsu, I could see traces of energy quickly moving throughout the room, and the moment it stopped, taking residence behind me, I jumped out of the way. He appeared in the spot where the energy stayed, his face resembling one of agitation.

I rested my feet on the floor, still in my stance. Sasuke, now standing and supporting himself by leaning against the wall, said to me "I hope you have a decent plan."

The earth shook violently. I needed to figure out how to get close to him and I needed to act now.

Just then, three clansmen rushed into the room, taking their place in front of me with their visual jutsu activated. Toneri scoffed at the sight of them, encouraging them to apprehend him with everything they had. They obliged, approaching him aggressively.

While they distracted Toneri, I went to Sasuke to check on his condition. Though he fought hard to recover, his face writhed in pain and he clutched his abdomen so tight that the skin on his knuckles turned white.

"I will give you some of my chakra," I said.

"Don't. I'll be alright."

After biting my lip as I deliberated, I grabbed his arm. I conjured chakra to my entire being and focused the currents into Sasuke. He did not attempt to shake me off, obediently taking what I offered. Once I finished, he narrowed his dark orbs.

"I wish you hadn't done that," he said. With some effort, he was able to stand without needing my support. He exhibited no signs of injury, though I could tell he still felt pain.

"You did not try to stop me."

"Only because I-"

The sudden act of an explosion made the estate shake violently enough create cracks in the ceiling and to throw me off balance. Sasuke reached for my hand, saving me from falling. He asked "What was that?"

Then, as if it had answered him, the indescribable noise from a propulsion gun resounded. It charged up, fired, and then another explosion set off, causing the estate to tremble again. Those weapons are quite loud, but this one sounded relatively close.

I glanced at the clansmen attacking Toneri and then back at Sasuke who was peering down at me with a knowing look. He said "Stay here. I'll stop the gun from causing further damage to your house."

My heart sank as flashes of the gun's capabilities ran through my mind. "Please. Be careful. If I am forced to look at the remains of you should that gun hit you, I will never be the same again."

"I'll be careful." He smirked, leaned down, and kissed me tenderly. "I'll be back soon."

I blinked and he was gone, leaving me with Toneri.

I turned to focus my attention on the battle between the Hyugas and Toneri only to have my heart sink in horror. A member laid dead on the floor by his feet, another laid on the floor injured, and Toneri just finished killing the other, snapping his neck effortlessly. When my ex-fiancé noticed that I was watching, he grabbed the injured member, forcing him to his knees. From his pocket, he pulled out a syringe filled with a black liquid.

Toneri gestured to the syringe. "I want you to know that what is about to happen is your fault."

"No," I screamed, rushing towards them.

Unfortunately, I was too late. Toneri stabbed the needle into the clansman's neck, injecting its murky contents into him. Seconds later, the member gasped for air as if he could not breathe. I watched in terror as his eyes bulged out of their sockets, melting into nothingness, and blood pooled from that emptiness as he keeled over, dead.

"Had you decided to marry me, this could have been prevented," said Toneri.

Unable to tear my eyes away from the sightless body, I said "You are a monster."

"Lady Hinata, you only have yourself to blame for this. All of this pain could have been easily avoided."

Toneri's hands glowed green as he gestured to the three lifeless bodies on the floor around him, causing the corpses to glow in time with his motion as he siphoned the energy from them. Their bodies slowly dissolved until there was nothing left of them.

"No, it would not have ended there. You have the world's well-being at your disposal. I am not so naïve as to believe all of your terror would cease upon a metallic band claiming your finger." I met his challenging eyes with a menacing gaze. "Even if you end me here, the world will not rest until you are dead. Your intentions have not gone unnoticed."

He scoffed. "The world's leaders cannot reach me. Earth is not my home."

I processed his words. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said: 'Earth is not my home'." He gestured towards the sky. "The moon is where I live."

It is no secret that I think Toneri is insane, but this time I let him see it as I stared at him. To this, he merely laughed. "Do not think of it as odd, Lady Hinata. The Hyuga clan once lived on the moon as well. We were once one clan – the Otsutsuki clan – until members of the main branch found a way to Earth and took residence there. So, when you think about it, you and I are distant relatives."

I shook my head. "You are lying to convince me to marry you."

"Not this time. I intended to tell you this sometime before we wed, though you never gave me a chance. Kaguya Otsutsuki had two children: Hagoromo and Hamura. Hagoromo, the Sage of Six Paths, ruled the earth. Have you ever wondered what became of Hamura, the brother with the Byakugan?" My expression gave me away the moment I began to believe him. "Before Hamura ruled the moon, he spent time here on earth where he met a chakraless woman with the surname of 'Hyuga.' They did not have a relationship – they simply had 'fun. But by the time Hamura left for the moon, the woman discovered that she was with child, a pupiless child."

I felt my heart stop as I put the pieces together.

"Lady Hinata, you are a direct descendant from Hamura's bloodline, which means that his charka flows through you. It gives you the power to destroy the energy vessels in one blow and immunity to the toxins it produces. You are very special, however, that is not why I want you as my wife."

"Do not claim that you want me to be your wife because you love me," I warned.

"No. I want you to be mine so that we can join our clans once more. Imagine the power our children will harness!"

The thought of that made me sick. In response, I reentered my stance. I looked beyond Toneri with my Byakugan to see the status of the energy swarming him, noticing immediately that the streams of energy running through him and up towards the moon had become thicker and plentiful. I still could not see the moon, so I still had time to stop Toneri.

With each thrust I presented to him, he brushed off as if he were swatting away a pesky fly. His hands felt warm to the touch, and when he hit me, it felt as though he set fire to my skin even though it left no mark. Despite the pain, I continued to attack him, though it did not take me long to notice my efforts were not getting me any closer to inflicting injury. With the energy pooling around him becoming thicker and the moon growing closer, I decided to approach another tactic that I felt shame for even thinking of.

I rushed towards him again, this time with less aggression. I thrust my palms at him half-heartedly, which caused Toneri to stare at me in question. He caught my wrist easily, pulling me close to his body as he peered down at me with chilling intensity. That intensity immediately dissipated, turning into confusion the moment he noticed that I was crying.

"What kind of trickery is this?" he asked, appalled.

"This is not trickery," I said, sniffling. "This is strategy."

I curled back my fingers, making sure to leave my middle and index finger erect. With as much power I could muster at this proximity, I thrust those fingers into the spot above his naval – the origin of chakra flow. By injecting my own chakra into his system, I altered his flow of chakra, causing him to lose control over it and the energy vessels. Suddenly, the heat he emitted died, allowing the cool autumn air to spill in from the open window to cool the space.

Toneri stared at me in disbelief. "You bitch."

He raised a hand to strike me, but that hand trembled violently once in the air. He looked up at his hand in horror and I backed away, unsure of what was happening. Then, he gripped his wrist, holding it in front of his body, letting out a painful scream as he did so. By this time, Sasuke had returned, taking a place beside me, and we watched Toneri lose control.

Suddenly, his body enveloped in green chakra. I shielded my eyes expecting to feel heat radiate from him, but it never did. Instead, as I looked on in terror, I realized that Toneri himself was beginning to burn alive. As he turned to ash, he released a scream so terrible that it made the hair raise on the nape of my neck. When he perished, all that remained of him was a pile of dust.

Sasuke pulled me against him as I stared at the pile in horror. "He did not deserve a death so terrible," I whispered.

"After all that he's done, I think he deserved worse. You did what you had to. He dug his own grave."

I tore my eyes away from the black ashes. "Yes. Yes, you are correct."

"You saved your family, Hinata."

"Yes, I did." Stepping away from Sasuke's hold, I peered up at him. "After all of that excitement, I have no idea what I am to do now. Once my father learns of our relationship, my title will be relinquished."

"I have an idea," he said with a smile.

Sasuke lowered down until he was on one knee.

My heart stopped. "W-What are you…?"

"Hinata." From the pocket of his pants, he produced a diamond ring, holding it out to me with earnest. "Will you marry me?"

A cough – a forced one to let me know that we had spectators – came from the doorway of the training room. Standing there were my little sister, my very unhappy father standing next to Ko who shared the same expression, all of our friends that planned this infiltration with us, Naruto, and Sakura who was covered in dirt, telling me that she helped out in our endeavors. When my eyes met hers, she smiled at me, nodding in approval. Somewhere along assisting us, she must have learned to let him go.

My eyes found Sasuke again, whose onyx orbs were staring up at me with anticipation. A happiness that I could not describe swept through me as tears ran down my cheeks. I smiled down at him and told him "Yes. Yes, I will marry you."

His lips curled into a large grin and he slipped the ring onto my finger. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he picked me up, and we kissed. Soon thereafter, a barrage of clapping ensued, and my little sister hollered out in excitement. My father and Ko were clearly not so happy with this announcement, but when I looked at Sasuke, none of that mattered. As long as I was his, and he was mine, everything felt right.

And now knowing that I would no longer need the kimono, I removed the first layer of it with Hanabi's permission, placing the glossy red silk atop of the ashes of my former fiancé – Toneri Otsutsuki…


	24. Chapter 24

**This chapter includes detailed sexual content. Also, the next chapter is going to be the very last for Red Kimono - the Epilogue. Thank you everyone so much for reading my story. It's been amazing to see your feedback and how much you enjoyed (or didn't enjoy) my work. There hasn't been a dull moment, and I have you all to thank for that! Please enjoy!**

 **XxX**

Birds sang as the sunlight poured into my room, basking on the white sheets of my bed and reflecting a light so bright that it nearly blinded me when I stared at it for too long. I sat in the chair in front of my vanity mirror as I tried my best to remain still while Ino applied mascara to my face. In my peripheral, her beautiful features twisted into one of extreme concentration since she was forced to work with my awkward angle. In an attempt to give her a better view of what she was doing, I moved back slightly, accidentally bumping into Sakura who was doing my hair.

"Sorry, Sakura," I said.

"It's alright," she said, grinning. She rubbed the small bump on her abdomen hidden underneath her light pink dress. "This one can handle a little nudge."

"If it's Sakura's baby, it can handle almost anything. Have you seen her? She still goes all out at the training field," said Ino incredulously.

"This kid's going to have to be tough since it's father is Naruto."

"Naruto will be a great father," I said.

"Maybe Hinata's right," said Ino after briefly deliberating. "If anything, the kid should be tough with _you_ as it's mother. You can get scary when you're mad, and if it's anything like Naruto used to be as a kid, then I fear for your child's life."

"Oh, shut up." Sakura combed through a section of my hair, pinning up the parts that got in her way. "What about you, Ino? Since you're so anal about everything, I bet your kid will run away from home a lot to catch a break."

Ino held up her left hand, brandishing a diamond ring that sparkled in the rays of the sun. "Sai and I have no plans for children. We both agree that we'll both be horrible parents."

"I can agree to that," said Sakura, a hint of meaning hidden behind her words. "Sai is so insensitive; it might leave the poor thing a wreck."

Ino laughed. "Yeah, you're right about that."

"Hinata, on the other hand, would be a great mother."

I blushed. "M-Me?"

"Of course," said Sakura. "You're kind, you can cook, and if you can bring out the best in a person like Sasuke, you can set anyone down the right path."

My heart raced just as it always does at the thought of a future with him.

"Stop blushing," Ino snapped. "The redness of your face is messing with the color scheme."

"S-Sorry."

Sakura finished doing my hair before Ino completed my make-up. She took a seat on my bed, blocking the blinding light reflecting off the sheets to watch Ino apply the final touches to my face. When she finished, Ino stepped back to admire her work.

"Sasuke won't know what to do when he sees you," she cooed.

I directed my attention to the mirror, soon meeting a person I barely recognized. The palette she applied was a nude one, but the results of the final product were far beyond my expectations. I could hardly look away – I was too busy staring at myself in awe.

"It looks good, right?" said Ino with her arms crossed triumphantly over her chest.

"Yes, thank you, Ino."

Sakura cleared her throat, reminding me that she too had a hand in this.

"Oh, yes. Thank you too, Sakura."

"You're welcome." She perked up, showing her teeth as the corners of her mouth curled. "We should go join the others, Ino. I bet they're all getting anxious."

"Yeah. Don't want to keep them waiting."

They left in a hurry, closing my bedroom door behind them.

Now that I was alone, I could not calm myself no matter how many breaths I took. I have been waiting impatiently up until this point, and now that I am finally here, the nerves refuse to settle. There are no doubts that I want this – to take this to the next step – however, when I imagine walking up to him past all of those people, the people that have supported us and cared for us unconditionally throughout the years, I freeze. Can I truly do this?

I abruptly rose from my chair, eliminating those negative thoughts immediately. There is one thing that I am certain of, and that is that I want to be with Sasuke for the rest of my life. We are well past the stage of doubt. Yes, I am afraid, but I am afraid of the possibility of something going wrong. Not of becoming his. The road ahead of is uncertain, but if we are together, we can face the unknown. Having that in mind sparked a fire within me that shook away all of the fear.

Just then, a soft knock came at my door. I opened it slightly, peeking through the crack, to find a member of the Hyuga clan on the other side. She bowed to me and said "Lady Hinata, we are ready for you outside."

"Thank you." I proceeded to shut the door, but I opened it again to tell her "You do not have to call me 'lady' any longer. That title has been relinquished from me when I informed my father that I am to marry Sasuke."

"That may be so, however, to me, and to all of those you held dear to you, you are still 'Lady Hinata' to us."

I offered her a warm smile. "Thank you."

"Please hurry. The groom is quite scary when he is impatient."

Nodding, I then closed the door to quickly dress in a sleeveless white gown. Light and flowing, it hugged my body nicely, showing the curves of my sides while not revealing much to our guests of my decently sized bust. The bottom of the dress was long enough to conceal my legs, and the veil that came with it sat atop my head, covering my face. I wore very little jewelry, selecting some that my late mother owned, and I gave my former room one last look before I shut the door behind me.

A couple of Hyuga members, one from the main branch and another from the side branch, escorted me to the double glass doors that lead into the exotic backyard of the estate that was now littered in cherry blossom petals. While I could see through the doors to the outside, those on the other side could not look in. From where I stand, rows of benches sat on the either side of the white aisle filled with people I knew: Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Ino, Kiba, Shino, Akamaru, Shikamaru, Choji, Rock Lee, Tenten, Kurenai sensei with her three-year-old daughter, Mirai, my academy teacher, Iruka sensei, Ko, my little sister, and my father. At the very end of the aisle, Sasuke stood next to the wedding arch noticeably nervous while Lord Hokage Kakashi adjusted his tie and delivered words of assurance.

Butterflies took residence at the pit of my stomach just from looking at him. His black suit made him look so unbelievably handsome that I forgot how to breathe, and, for a moment, I could not believe that he was soon to be my husband.

"Lady Hinata?" the side branch member said. "Are you ready?"

My throat suddenly felt dry upon learning that I was soon to venture out there. I glanced down at her with widened eyes, but when I looked back up at Sasuke, who had wiped sweat forming on his forehead with a napkin, all of that fear erased.

"Yes. I am ready," I said.

Both members slipped through the door, taking care not to reveal me to everyone on the other side. When the doors opened, Sasuke jerked his head in the direction of it, his eyes full of anticipation and longing as he watched the branch members rush towards the pianist.

When the music flared, and the guests rose from their seats, two men on the other side of the glass opened the doors, revealing me to those waiting for me. Upon seeing me, my groom's expression changed from that of nervousness to one of awe. The entire time I walked down the aisle, I never took my eyes off Sasuke. And he never took his eyes off me.

When I finally reached him at the end, he whispered "You look beautiful."

I blushed under his observation. "You look stunning as well."

The guests took their seats and the music ceased, leaving us in silence until the priest began to speak of our union in matrimony. As he spoke, I found it rather difficult – impossible even – to tear my gaze from my fiancé, and with how he looked at me, I think it was mutual. His onyx orbs harbored a spark, a happiness, that I had never known him to possess. Seeing that made all of the worries I had about our unknown future slip away. As long as he continued to stare at me like that for years to come, I had nothing to fear.

"Do you, Sasuke Uchiha, take Hinata Hyuga to be you lawfully wedded wife?" asked the priest.

I could feel my heart stop when I noticed he did not hesitate. "Yes. I do."

"Do you, Hinata Hyuga, take Sasuke Uchiha to be your lawfully wedded husband?" asked the priest.

Upon hearing that question, I expected to feel nervous under his scrutiny and our guests', but I never pulled my attention from Sasuke, and when I peered into his eyes that were so full of love and certainty, all I could feel in retrospect was the need to be completely his.

"Yes," I said. "I do."

Everything the priest said after that passed through one ear and out the other until he finally announced "You may now kiss the bride." Our guests then erupted into claps and cheers – the loudest of cheers belonging to my sister – as Sasuke pulled me against him, kissing me with a passion that took my breath away. When we parted, I was left dizzy, drunk from the might of his fervent kiss. I looked up at him, smiled, and then pulled him in for another kiss. This, he did not expect, though I knew he appreciated it, for he smiled against my mouth.

Hand in hand, we walked towards my father, who offered my new husband a nod of approval. "Take care of my daughter."

"I will, sir."

They shook hands before we clasped hands once again to walk down the aisle, thanking our abundance of guests that yelled out "Congratulations" left and right. The euphoria that seized me lasted until the moment we arrived at our new home to the southwest of the village. There is when everything that just happened became real to me.

Sasuke opened the door to our family sized house, revealing a cozy space, wooden floors, a kitchen that I could merely dream of, and pair of glass doors that led out to a private backyard filled with flowers and plants. While we prepared for the wedding, our friends were more than happy to unpack our items, organizing and placing them in tasteful locations so that when we came home after the wedding, we could simply relax. Judging by the design alone, I knew Ino had taken the liberty of commanding the men to position the furniture in the spots she deemed appropriate, which I found to be a good call. Ino has a talent for interior decorating.

Sasuke closed the door as he stepped into the house with me. "So, now that we're home, Mrs. Uchiha, what do you want to do first?"

I glanced around the first floor of our home. "I do not know. There is so much I wish to do. Did you have something in mind?"

A sexy smirk played across his face. "In fact, I do have something in mind."

He removed his tie, tossing it onto a chair sitting nearby and he loosened the first few buttons of his collared shirt. He wrapped his arm around me, pulling me tightly against his body, and he leaned down, kissing me with the same passion he did earlier, only this time, he met my lips repeatedly, and I soon became weak in the knees. He was aggressive, but gentle, and it was enough to send me over the edge. My mind reeled with lewd intentions as the wetness increased under my dress.

I pulled him closer to me by tangling my fingers in his soft, silky hair, thus deepening the kiss. I parted my lips slightly, allowing his tongue access to my mouth and our tongues fought for dominance, dancing around each other until we were forced to break apart for air. Now separated from one another, I looked up at my lover feeling the intense need for more. When I accidentally brushed my leg between his when I tried to adjust my position in his hold, I felt a hardness, telling me that he yearned for the same thing.

Voice husky, he asked "Why don't we continue this in the bedroom?"

My lips slipped into a smile as a response, and I let him carry me upstairs.

He nudged the slightly ajar door open with his foot, tossing me on the massive bed. He got on top of me, his lips back on mine, kissing me with enough fire to make me moan. I felt his warm hand grab my thigh as he gently trailed up my skin until he met my underwear. Against my lips, he commanded "Take off your clothes."

Those few words held enough power to make me crave him more than I ever had before, and we both eagerly removed every shred of clothing. During the time we spent between planning for our wedding until today, it was difficult not to fornicate with him in the periods we were alone in his apartment. I would often fantasize about what his frontal region would look like, and I often pictured something unrealistic, given that I never saw one up close. But seeing him today, bare and vulnerable, in front of me, I realized I could not have imagined anything better.

Sasuke had plenty of opportunities to see me naked as well, for I would shower and sleep at his apartment occasionally before our big day, but not once did he peek even though I could tell he wanted to. As I stand before him, exposed, I could see on his face that everything I had to offer was more than what he could have imagined as well.

He climbed on top of me, leaving trails of soft kisses down my neck, to my collarbone, stopping at my naval. From there, he peered up at me, his lips curved into a mischievous smirk. I thought about questioning his intentions, but when he resumed kissing me below my naval, I understood what he had in mind and I felt the blood rush to my head.

Wet and hot, his tongue gently licked the bulb resting between my legs. It sent a pleasure unlike anything I ever felt as I shuddered with each caress. He tentatively watched my reaction, his expression twisting into one of satisfaction upon finding my content face, and he continued to gently tease it at a painstakingly slow pace. Regardless of the tempo, he left me moaning and I rolled my hips against him, begging for more than what he offered.

I felt his lips curve into a smile, and he held my hips in place with a firm hand, preventing me from moving. He forced me to subject to the amount of pleasure he offered – to which I flashed him a frustrated expression when he glanced up at me – until he licked downwards, probing the tip of his tongue at my hole. This made me moan a little louder as he traced the entrance gently. But then, he pushed in, making me gasp at the new, erotic sensation.

His warm tongue poked at my walls, creating these wet, lewd noises that made me even more excited. The sensation felt great, and when he removed his hand from my hips to play with the bulb his mouth had previously been on, the mixture of satisfaction they made together left me moaning and practically writhing in bliss. Soon, this feeling began to rise within me, gradually increasing the more pleasure he gave me.

My sweaty hands gripped the sheets as perspiration rolled off my body. The sensation continued to grow stronger, and I soon realized that I was coming. I arched my back slightly, feeling the sensation rapidly approaching, and just when I was about to achieve it, Sasuke suddenly stopped toying with me.

He licked his lips, a smirk playing across his handsome face. In return, I glared at him, wanting for the first time to hurt him.

"Not yet," he said.

He climbed on top of me, kissing my neck a few times, before he drew back a little, holding his erection to aim it at my unsatisfied lady parts. The entire time, his gaze never left mine, and mine never left his. My heart pounded with anticipation at the thought of this finally happening, though when I looked into Sasuke's reassuring eyes, I felt no fear. He pushed into the hole as gently as he could until the head slipped in, penetrating me, deflowering me.

The girth of him stretched out my untouched parts, making my face twist in pain at the burning taking place below. He looked at me in concern, wondering if he should exit or not, but I clasped onto his wrist while he deliberated, and I said "Keep going."

Sasuke pushed in slowly until all of him rested inside. Despite the pain, the feeling of him was incredible. The heat radiating off his rock-hard erection titillated me enough to make me push past the pain, and seeing Sasuke's face erupt in pleasurable bliss upon complete entry enticed me enough to prompt him to proceed.

The moment Sasuke noticed what I was thinking, he took it upon himself to move, drawing back about half way before coming back in. He observed my expressions, taking care not to hurt me. I assured him that I would be fine as I curled my fingers around his neck, pulling him in for a tender kiss. He thrust again.

Soon, the pain became nonexistent as I grew used to the shape of him, leaving only the pleasure of Sasuke Uchiha. Slowly, he pumped in and out of me, all the while brushing his lips against mine. His breathing was uneven and hitched, his voice was husky as he moaned against my skin. As one of my hands ghosted my husband's sweaty body, the other found his head, fisting his dark hair slightly when the thrusts increased in pace and power, causing several moans to slip from me.

I found the courage to roll my hips in time with his when I found the pattern, to which I arched my back. The feeling was building up again – the indication of an orgasm.

Judging by Sasuke's face, he was nearing the end as well. This assumption only proved my case when I felt him throb repeatedly between my tight walls. His large hand caressed my cheek as he peered into my eyes with love filled ones. Without having to speak, I understood the message he tried to give me.

He wanted to look at me when we finished together.

I throbbed in time with him, the feeling quickly increasing. I tightened my fist holding his hair captive as I arched my back once more to combat the powerful orgasm that made my body convulse. During this, Sasuke's hand gripped my hips once my walls clamped on him so hard, he was forced to expel everything he held back on for my own pleasure. With a moan and a few heavy breaths, he came too, releasing his hot juices deep inside of me.

Sasuke pulled out slowly, making me shudder again. He then took his place next to me, and I instinctively cuddled my sweaty body close against his.

Sasuke wrapped his arm around me, inviting me. "If you knew how long I've been wanting to do this with you, you would call me a pervert."

A laughed escaped me. "I would imagine that you have been yearning to do this for quite a while." I then admitted, blushing "I have been wishing to do this with you for a while as well."

That did not seem to surprise him, for his mouth twitched into smile. After deliberating for a few moments, he confessed "Since the day I retrieved you from the base of the mountain in the Land of Iron, I have thought of doing this."

My eyes widened as I propped myself up with my elbow to look at him. He was serious. "You never told me this."

"How could I ever tell you that? Admitting that to you before I proposed would have been weird, and telling you after that would only have made it more difficult for both us to wait until after marriage."

I gave him a wry smile. "I suppose you are right."

"I told you once before that I liked you for a long time. The truth is, I've liked you since the Academy, and that like turned into love during the war. I thought about you more than I want to admit during my journey of atonement."

I caressed his face. "That is quite flattering."

Sasuke's gaze locked with mine. There was an intensity in them that made the butterflies in my stomach flutter like mad.

"I love you, Hinata."

My breath caught.

"I love you too, Sasuke."

Our lips met, brushing against one another with a heated passion. When we broke apart, the reflection in his eyes mirrored mine, and in that moment, I could tell we were thinking the same thing: I finally feel complete.


	25. Epilogue

It did not take long for Sasuke and I to find faults in each other during our six weeks of living together. When he puts the dishes away after I wash them, he does not take care to check to make sure they are dry, he selfishly takes the blankets at night, he never does laundry, and just yesterday morning, I tripped over a box he promised to put away since we first moved here. Our differences have put us at odds, and we argued about it for days – sometimes to the point where Sasuke decides that he does not wish to be near me, prompting him to sleep on the couch. Yet, despite our friction, here he stands, holding my hair for me as I vomit violently into the toilet… We love each other, no matter the odds.

"You've been throwing up for days. Maybe you should go see a doctor," he suggested.

I coughed a few times to rid my throat of my regurgitated breakfast. "No. No doctors. I am fi-" I lunged for the toilet, expelling what appeared to be eggs.

Sasuke sucked his teeth. "You're beginning to sound like me. I will make an appointment for you once you feel like you're done here."

"Do not make decisions for me," I snapped. The vomit ceased, giving me the opportunity to look back to glare at Sasuke. In turn, he returned the intensity my eyes held, until I was forced to break eye contact when I felt it coming up again. I gripped the rim of the bowl tightly, releasing everything into the porcelain seat.

"It seems to me like you don't have a choice."

"No doctors," I gasped. My tone was harsh, but he remained unfazed.

"I need to visit Kakashi to collect pay for a mission I did last week. After that, I'll pester Tsunade to squeeze you in later today for a check-up."

"No," I repeated in between episodes.

"Yeah, yeah. Just because I heard you the first hundred times, doesn't mean I was listening."

Angrily, I pushed myself away from the disgusting smell wafting within the bowl to glare at my husband. He stared down at me wearing an unreadable expression, and then he offered me his hand after releasing my hair. Reluctantly, I took it, using his support to rise. Now on my feet, a sudden wave of dizziness washed over me, and Sasuke caught me before I landed on the tiled floor.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concern thickly coating his voice.

I pressed my hand to my forehead. "I… I am fine."

"Do you want to sit down?"

I nodded and he escorted me to the red couch in the living room sitting across from the fireplace after he flushed the toilet for me since the smell and sight made me feel sick. He left me briefly to fetch some green tea from the kettle on the stove, handing it to me with concern still on his face. Taking a sip from the cup, I glanced up at Sasuke who hovered over me, ready to rush me to the bathroom in case I felt the need to vomit again.

"Do not worry. I believe that I am done," I said.

"Because you keep throwing up anything solid, you've lost a lot of weight, Hinata. Green tea is the only thing you can keep down…" He kneeled beside me. "I'll go see Kakashi later; let's go to the hospital now."

He extended his hand for me to take, which I pushed away using unnecessary force.

"How many times must I tell you for you to understand? I do not want to see a doctor," I snapped.

The words were harsh and frigid and as soon as I heard how I sounded when the words left my lips, a wave of guilt and regret washed over me. Wide eyed, I peered at my husband who still knelt beside me, trying poorly to hide the hurt in his onyx eyes.

"I did not mean…"

He stood up. "No. You've made it clear every time I brought it up. I guess you've had enough."

Sasuke picked up his wool poncho that hung over the back of one of the chairs, putting it on in one swift motion.

I stood up from the couch with urgency. "W-Where are you going?"

"To see Kakashi."

There was a look in his eyes that made me worry what he was thinking.

I did not bother shrouding the worry I felt. "Are you going to be home for dinner?"

He approached the door. "Don't know."

"Are you going to come home at all?"

He placed his hand on the doorknob, peered over his shoulder, and then left without another word. Devastated, I let myself fall on the couch, never taking my attention from the front door.

We have had our ups and downs, good times and bad times, and we laughed and argued – we argued a lot – but none of those arguments resulted in uncertainty of Sasuke's return. What if he never comes back? What if he decides that he wants a divorce? What if he decides that he does not love me anymore? Just the mere thought made my eyes sting and my throat close. Have I pushed him away for good this time?

I could sit here all day waiting for him to come home, but doing so would undoubtedly make me depressed, and if he were to return home as I cry in our bed, that would just make him more irritated. I have had quite a few episodes of spontaneous bursts of weeping in his presence that I am positive he can endure no longer.

To clear my head, I grabbed some mints and my pink jacket, and I ventured out into the Leaf Village. I wanted Sasuke to forgive me, so I went to the market to shop for his favorite foods. We had plenty of rice at home, so I headed straight for the fruit section where I found tomatoes. It is always difficult to find a dish to make with rice and tomatoes, but I was willing to put myself through the effort for him. Food will not fix everything, though it will soften him up enough to place me within good graces again.

As I examined tomatoes with a basket in hand, I heard whispering coming from behind me. Assuming that it did not concern me, I ignored them – until I heard one them mention my name.

"It's been weeks, but I still can't believe Hinata left her clan to marry Sasuke Uchiha," said one of the girls.

"I know, right? But have you seen Sasuke lately? If I were her, I'd marry him too," said another girl.

"He is hot – he always has been! But what makes _her_ so special?" mentioned the third, and final, girl.

"Hinata is gorgeous," said the first.

"Yeah, but com'on. No one really knew who she was until that Toneri guy was announced as her fiancé. Now that he's dead, she's just known as Sasuke's wife," said the third voice. "Sasuke's an infamous ninja, and Hinata is just a nobody."

"Hm," said the second voice. "Now that you say that, yeah, I know what you mean. She doesn't deserve someone like Sasuke."

The first voice hushed them. "She's standing right there. She might hear us."

"Let her," said the third. "Maybe she'll realize how unworthy she is."

They laughed, and at hearing the sound, tears pooled from my ears, causing me to flee the scene to take residence in a nearby public restroom. The words were petty, untrue, and it was obvious that they derived from jealousy, yet I could not stop myself from succumbing to my emotions. The tears continuously streamed down my cheeks as I fought to control my anxious breathing. From crying so much, the nausea returned to me and I rushed to one of the stalls to heave the green tea Sasuke prepared for me. Still, I could not stop sobbing, not even after I relieved my stomach. I sat there on the dirty floor next to the filthy toilet, ashamed for feeling so helpless.

"Hinata?" called a familiar voice.

I glanced behind me to find Sakura, her baby bump larger than the last time I saw her.

"What happened? Why are you crying?"

I tossed my hands up in defeat. "I do not know. Some girls at the market were saying these false things about me and Sasuke and I that made me upset. I ran in here to hide, but I ended up vomiting." I turned towards the toilet, unintentionally took a whiff of my spew, and gagged. Luckily, I did not expel what my body threatened to produce.

With a hasty motion, Sakura reached for me. "Get out of there. It's dirty in here."

I staggered to my feet, exiting the stall. Sakura wiped the tears running down my cheeks with her thumbs as her green eyes regarded me with a great amount of consternation. "You're crying over some gossip from jealous girls?"

Unable to speak, I nodded my head. I feared that if I opened my mouth, I would begin to bawl again.

"What's gotten into you? This is so unlike you."

I took a deep breath. "The last few days with Sasuke have been taxing on both ends," I admitted. "Today, I made him so angry that I worry he might not come home tonight. I know what those girls said should not bother me, however, I have been feeling so out of sorts lately that I cannot handle even something as petty as gossip." I threw my hands up in the air again. "Just a few days ago, I tried to help a small boy find his toy truck, and I nearly cried because we could not find it."

Just the memory of never recovering his toy, stung my eyes and I felt my throat close.

"Okay, okay," hushed Sakura in a panic when she saw the tears beginning to resurface. "No more crying, got it?"

Meekly, I nodded my head as I bit my lip to stifle an oncoming sob.

"Let's go do something fun – just the two of us. You won't have to worry about Sasuke, or gossip, or lost toys. It'll be an area of positivity."

I offered her a weak smile. "You cannot prevent people from talking about me and Sasuke. After all, talk of our betrothal is all over the village."

A scary grin splayed on her pretty face. "That's easy. I'll just punch anyone who dares to utter either one of your names."

A chill ran up my spine. She was serious.

"Come on. Let's go, Hinata."

"Where are we going?"

"You know where."

Sakura dragged me to the Amaguriama on the other side of the village. By the time we finally arrived, I found myself covered in a light sweat and gasping for air. My pink-haired friend, however, appeared to be perfectly fine despite the extra weight she carried.

Upon entry, one of the waitresses recognized Sakura immediately and ushered us to a table for two. It was not until I sat down that I realized how much my feet craved relief from such a long walk. I have never known my feet to ache so much, not even from days of no respite during missions.

Taking one look at me, Sakura said "Wow. Retirement has really put you out of shape. Are you going to be okay?"

"I just need water," I assured her.

Knowing what Sakura already wanted, the waitress ran to fetch me a glass of water, leaving me and Sakura alone.

"You lost weight," she mentioned.

"Sasuke said the same thing. I regurgitate everything I eat, so it cannot be helped."

"Have you considered visiting a doctor? Lady Tsunade owes me a favor, so I bet I can get her to take you today."

A friendly suggestion that my loving husband mentioned too often irritated me at the mere recommendation. I bit my tongue, not wanting to say anything I would regret. I learned my lesson with Sasuke this morning.

"I do not want to go through the trouble of waiting for an examination," I said casually.

The waitress brought the glass of water, and informed Sakura that her dumplings would be done in a few minutes prior to walking away.

"It might be worth it. If your body is causing you all this trouble, there might be a problem. Sasuke is probably worried sick about you."

A strong surge of sadness and guilt seized me at the thought of him.

"As a medical-nin, from observation alone, you could have something serious like appendicitis, diabetes, an ulcer, a gallbladder disease, or even cancer." She observed my appearance with a crooked frown. "Since you've lost so much weight, I can bet on diabetes or cancer."

"It is not anything remotely that serious," I claimed.

She put her hands on her hips. "Then how can you explain it?"

I could not. I slouched in my seat as she stared at me fiercely.

Just then, the waitress returned with a plate of three dumplings, sitting it in front of Sakura. The fierceness in her green orbs switched to delight as she stared down at her steaming helping of sweets. Normally, despite never ordering them myself, they looked appetizing, but today as I stared at her dish, I could not stop myself from revolting, especially from the sickeningly sweet smell that wafted in my direction.

Quickly, I clasped an open hand to my lips as I gagged from the odor.

"Are you seriously gagging from dumplings? That's certainly new," she stated. She looked at me curiously with further observation, and I saw the light from realization burning in her eyes.

"What?" I asked, trying my best not to vomit in public.

"This explains everything." She stood up from the table, grabbing my hand with abrupt urgency. "Come with me now."

"Huh? But you have not touched your food."

"That doesn't matter right now. Hurry up."

Sakura pulled me out of the restaurant and dragged me to the house she shared with Naruto whom she recently began dating. He was not home, so the left me to be the only one to comment when she took an unopened bottle of white wine from their cabinet.

"S-Sakura, you are with child. You cannot drink that," I exclaimed.

"It's not for drinking."

I stared at her, confused.

She sucked her teeth. "Do you have to pee?" Before I could answer, she said "Of course you have to pee. You remember where the bathroom is, right?"

"Y-Yes…"

"Go, and don't flush the toilet. When you're done, call me in."

"A-Alright…?"

Regardless of how perplexing her demand was, I did as she commanded, calling her in just as she asked. She brought the bottle of white wine with her, a delighted smile on her face.

"Ready?" she asked.

"I still do not understand, Sakura."

"I had heard from Karui, Choji's girlfriend from the Hidden Cloud Village, that when you mix alcohol with urine from a host, the color should turn to a pale yellow with a cloud on the surface. If this happens with your waste, then you're positive."

"Host? Positive?" My nose crinkled in confusion. Then, realization hit. My heart stopped. "Surely, you do not mean…"

She squealed. "Yes!" Then she pulled the cork from the bottle using her monstrous strength. "Shall we try it out?"

Throat too dry to speak, I simply nodded my head.

I watched tentatively as Sakura eagerly poured wine into the porcelain seat. What occurred afterward was enough to almost cause me to faint.

 **XxX**

I felt like I was floating on air as I walked home from Sakura's house. This did not feel real. What was I going to do? How could I tell Sasuke? How would he take the news? As those questions coursed through my mind, I suddenly remembered that there was a chance he might not come home tonight, and I could not blame him. I treated him horribly when he tried to care for me.

My eyes started to sting again as I finally reached the front door. The tears that weld threatened to spill, but I successfully fought the urge until I entered the house and smelled green tea. Sasuke was home preparing tea for me like he usually does.

I could not fight it anymore. The tears fell down my cheeks as I slowly entered his view. He glanced up at me, back to stirring the tea, and then back up at me when he noticed the tears. He abandoned the kettle to reach me, his hand lovingly wiping away the onslaught of tears.

"I-I am s-sorry," I blurted. "I-I t-treated you unfairly. You d-did not deserve that. I love you so much!"

I tightly threw my arms around him, soaking his black V-neck with my tears. His large, warm hand rubbed my back as I heard him exhale.

"Are you crying because you hurt my feelings?" he asked in disbelief.

"Y-Yes! No matter how awful I treated you, you continued to love me." I paused. "You must think that I am a terrible wife."

"No." Sasuke kept me close, but held me far enough to see my tear stained face. "You are more than I could ask for. You cook _every_ night, you love me unconditionally, I get to wake up to your gorgeous face every morning… I can list everything wonderful about you, but there isn't enough time in the day." His eyes filled with adoration. "You don't know how much I love you."

I sniffed and my throat closed. Sobs threatened to ensue. "I know. You showed me every day even when you were angry with me." As I met his love filled gaze, I repeated "I love you so much."

He kissed me. After he drew back from my lips, he gestured towards the kitchen. "I made tea. The sun's nearly setting and I know you haven't eaten since breakfast. Drinking it won't fill you, but it'll help me rest easy knowing you have something in your stomach."

I caught Sasuke's wrist as he turned to enter the kitchen. His onyx eyes looked troubled when he saw my hesitant expression, but I forced myself to speak these next words. "I… I ran into Sakura today at the market… She gave me medical advice at her house and she came up with a diagnosis."

Sasuke's body stiffened as his eyes turned anxious. "And?"

Eyes watery, but hopeful, I locked my eyes with my husband's as a large smile formed across my lips. "I am with child."

The expression on his handsome face went through shock, followed by realization as he processed the meaning of my words, and then jubilation. A smile as large as the one on our wedding night splayed across his handsome features as he lifted me up, spinning me around without losing a hint of that happiness.

"We're going to have a baby?" he shouted.

"We are going to have a baby," I verified.

He put me down, kissing me fervently, the smile never leaving his face. As I looked up at him, I was overcome with a mixture of relief and a happiness that I never thought possible. I thought that nothing could interrupt this moment of bliss – that is until the aftereffects of all that spinning seized me, causing me to gag. Sasuke's eyes widened, knowing what was about to happen next. He whisked me away to the nearest bathroom, and held my hair for me as I vomited violently into the porcelain seat.

In these past six weeks of marriage, our life was not always easy. We had many moments of ups and downs, good times and bad times, and laughs along with many arguments. But despite all of that, one fact remained certain: We love each other, no matter the odds.

 **The End**


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